


Magic of the Night

by cheshire_carroll



Series: Moonspell Series [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 14:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 122,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7979344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshire_carroll/pseuds/cheshire_carroll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For Bella Swan, there's more then just one battle looming on the horizon. With Luna struggling to overcome her ordeal at Malfoy Manor, Victoria's plans of revenge, the growing uneasiness between the Pack and the Cullens, High School Finals, Prom, Graduation, and the Wizarding War drawing to its violent climax, Bella's life is more hectic and dangerous then ever.</p><p>Set during the Twilight series and the Deathly Hallows:  </p><p> </p><p>DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight. I am only writing this for my amusement, and for others amusement. I am not writing this for a profit of any kind.<br/>DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the images used.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**PROLOGUE:**

 

**_Italy, Volterra: the Volturi_ **

_Corin tried to act more confident then she felt as she made her way to the throne room, moving in the unconscious, graceful manner of all vampires. She'd been the one chosen (bullied) into talking with the Masters as it had been decided her Gift, even when latent, would have a calming effect on their leading trio._

_Or at least she was valuable enough that they wouldn't kill her for bringing bad news. After all, despite her status as not-a-fighter, her Gift was highly valued in the halls of Volterra._

_Among the Volturi, it was her solemn responsibility to protect the mates of Master Aro and Master Caius; their wives Lady Athenodora and Lady Sulpicia._

_Well, it was sort of her responsibility to protect them. She didn't so much as guard them as to ease them into complacency and other, more physically imposing members of the guard did the actual job of protecting the wives, with her Gift keeping the Ladies satisfied with their lives._

_Corin was very proud of her responsibility in her coven- after all, as the mates of Master Aro and Master Caius, Lady Athenodora and Lady Sulpicia were in terrible danger whenever they set foot outside the tower because of the Masters' hard work keeping the vampire world safe. It was just so precious how Master Aro and Master Caius were so protective of the Ladies, and so sweet how they had asked her to join their coven so she could make sure the Ladies content._

_She was so grateful for the home and protection her Masters had given her, and she felt like she owed them everything- she would do anything for them._

_It had never crossed her mind, not even once, that the wives had become virtual prisoners in Volterra, or how Aro used her like a drug to keep other members loyal to him. Her Gift had the side-effect, much like a human drug, that when someone was exposed to her power for too long they felt a physical discomfort if they were not exposed to it for a period of time. It had never occurred to Corin that Aro's instructions to use her Gift on Chelsea, one of the highest ranking members of the Volturi, wasn't a reward for Chelsea's obedience and hard work, but a way to trap the Gifted vampire, making it nigh impossible for Chelsea to leave the coven because of the discomfort the lack of constant exposure would cause._

_No, Corin was happy in her knowledge that she was needed, and she was working for a higher purpose. The bastard child of a drug addicted whore 'Philippa', in Corin's human life, the murky, muddy memories of before she'd been Turned consisted mainly of her mother's addiction and abuse. If Philippa was drunk, she was mean. If she was stoned, she wanted to dance. If she was shooting up, she didn't know Corin existed. If she was snorting, she wanted to play. Her favorite was the needle followed by the booze. Despite the fact it's been almost eighty years since she was Turned, Corin still remembers that feeling in her stomach when her mom would tell her to get a spoon, still remembers, somewhere in that muddy brown, wishing that for once Philippa wouldn't pick up the damn needle, but that never happened._

_All she'd ever wanted was for her mom to be content; to be enough that her mom didn't need to be stoned or high or flat out drunk, that Philippa was content with Just Corin._

_But now... now Corin wasn't practically nameless and homeless, hiding in the cupboards of grimy motel rooms as Philippa 'earned' their money, stealing food when she hadn't eaten for nearly three days straight, sleeping under an overpass- now she was living in a castle, and she had a purpose. Now she could make people content by being Just Corin._

_Master Aro had taught her how to read and write, and speak different languages. He'd introduced her to art and music and literature. He gave her a home and a family. He showed her that she was valuable and how she could work for a higher power, for the world-shaping purpose of the Volturi. Master Aro had changed her life more then the vampire who'd bitten her had (her sire had been hunting the homeless and the whores; he'd drained Philippa dry, then moved on to Corin, leaving before realizing he hadn't fully drained her, that her heart was still beating)._

_Of course, for all her love and adoring worship of her Masters, it didn't change the fact two of the ruling trio had been in a stormy mood since the Cullens and their pet human, who had a Gift that let her make animals of shining silver light, had swept in and out of their castle, leaving a great emotional disturbance in Master Aro and Master Caius in their wake._

_Seven human secretaries had been killed in the last fifteen days alone due to the Masters' current upset and anger, and three members of the guard had been tortured by Jane under Caius's orders, and for only minor infractions._

_But she had to do this. It was her purpose, to serve her Masters._

_She entered the throne room and immediately bowed. "Rise, my child," Master Aro said, and she eagerly looked up at him, feeling love and worship swell inside her as he smiled down at her. No trace of annoyance or anger was visible on the flawless features that never failed to take her away. "What are you doing here, my dearest Corin?" he asked, and Corin relaxed, wondering what she'd ever been so worried about. Master Aro was kind and considerate and he'd never hurt her unless he had to._

_"Masters, our scouts bring news. There is another vampire attempting to create a newborn army. Already the human news has picked up on the deaths and disappearances."_

_"A newborn army?" Master Caius looks interested, perking up slightly, the displeasure present his face fading slightly._

_"Y-Yes, Master Caius. In America, the state Washington. A city called Seattle." She said, bowing her head towards her other Master._

_"Seattle," Aro's voice is suddenly sharp with interest, all congeniality vanishing from his handsome face. "in Washington. That's very interesting, dear one. Very interesting indeed."_

_Corin wasn't sure what was so interesting about her news (vampires attempting to create newborn armies did pop up at least once or twice a decade), but she knew that Master Aro was far cleverer then she'd ever be._

_"The guards ask permission to travel to Seattle and clean the situation up, Masters." She said, and Master Aro smiled at her, a sharper smile then usual, and she had to fight her automatic impulse to cringe away from that cruel, predatory look._

_"Denied. Bring me Jane, Felix and Demetri. I have a task for them." He said. Confused, Corin hastily bowed again before backing out of the room._

_She wasn't sure what had just happened, but by the looks Master Aro and Master Caius were trading, she was certain she'd missed something important. She didn't really mind though- what mattered was that Master Aro and Master Caius both seemed happier then they had been since the visit of those accursed Cullens and their silly pet human._

-

-

-

CHAPTER ONE:  
  
  


_Bella,_

~~_I don't know why you're making Charlie carry notes to Billy like we're in second grade if I wanted to talk to you I would answer the-_ ~~

~~_You made the choice here, okay? You can't have it both ways when-_ ~~

~~_What part of 'mortal enemies' is too complicated for you to-_ ~~

~~_Look, I know I'm being a jerk, but there's just no way around-_ ~~

~~_We can't be friends when you're spending all your time with a bunch of-_ ~~

~~_It just makes it worse when I think about you too much, so don't write anymore_ ~~

_Yeah, I miss you, too. A lot. Doesn't change anything. Sorry._

_Jacob_

I ran my fingers across the page, feeling the dents where he had pressed the pen to the paper so hard that it had nearly broken through. I could picture him writing this, scrawling the angry letters in his rough handwriting, slashing through line after line when the words came out wrong, maybe even snapping the pen in his too-big hand; that would explain the ink splatters. I could imagine the frustration pulling his black eyebrows together and crumpling his forehead. If it'd been there, I might have laughed. 'Don't give yourself a brain hemorrhage, Jacob,' I would have told him. 'Just spit it out.'

Laughing was the last thing I felt like doing now as I reread the words I'd already memorized. His answer to my pleading note, passed from Charlie to Billy to him, just like second grade, as he'd pointed out, was no surprise. I'd known the essence of what it would say before I'd opened it.

Tossing the note to the middle of the table, I slump back against my seat. "And he hasn't contacted me at all since then." I tell the other occupants of the table. "It's been fifteen days!" 

Angela plucks up the note and scans it, mouth twisting into a frown. "I think he's been unfair." She says. 

"It's not completely his fault," Katie shakes her head, "he's under a lot of pressure- we know better then anyone, Bella, how devastating prejudice is. So many Purebloods grew up hearing that muggleborns were worth less then them, and the Quileutes, including Jacob, have grown up hearing that vampires are less then human, that they're evil monsters." 

"Their heads must be filled with wrackspurts." Luna agrees, solemnly. Katie and Angela look across at her, and I feel my lips twitch into a smile despite myself. 

"Wrackspurts?" Angela asks, cautiously. Luna gives her a dreamy sort of smile. 

"They're invisible. They float in through your ears and make your brain go fuzzy." She says as if that explains everything.

It doesn't, but that's just what makes Luna so brilliant. 

Katie jumps into the conversation. "If they're invisible, then how can you see them?" She asks. 

"Well most people have to use spectrespecs, but wrackspurts have shells that shine in just the right light, so if you know what to look for..." she hums and nods. 

"Oh. Right." Katie looks at me questioningly, obviously unsure about what to say. I just smile at her. You can't describe Luna; she's just indescribable. 

"Got any advice?" I ask, pulling attention back to the note from Jacob. 

"Make him talk to you- don't give him an option. Face-to-face confrontation." Suggests Angela. 

"No, I think you should track the problem to its root," Katie disagrees. 

"The root?" 

"His dad- Billy Black." She says.

-

"You want me to invite Billy over?" Charlie asks, surprised. I nod from where I'm standing at the stove, cooking one of Luna's favorite foods- well, favorite food that isn't pudding or humbugs; spaghetti Bolognese, which is thankfully something I can cook pretty well.

Luna is currently sleeping on the couch. She looks tiny and fragile, curled up on the faded material like a little doll, a thick comforter draped over her, care of Charlie. There's a game playing on the television, but the volumes muted and Charlie's standing in the kitchen with me. 

"Is this about the whole him hating vampires thing?" Charlie asks. I grimace slightly. I hadn't told Charlie exactly how Billy knew about vampires, figuring that although I hadn't been sworn to secrecy, exactly, it would be better for my relations with the Pack and tribe elders if I didn't spill their secret. Charlie was astute enough to figure out that it wasn't a subject I could talk about, so he hadn't pushed, other then grumbling about despite having a witch daughter, he'd been the last to find out about the fact the Cullens were vampires. 

"It was Katie's idea," I tell him, "Jacob isn't talking to me because he's all prejudiced against vampires, and he's prejudiced because the tribe elders, which include Billy, are prejudiced. So if we can make Billy actually sit down and freaking listen, maybe Jacob will talk to me again. I mean, it's a long shot, but I'm seriously running out of options here, dad." 

"There's a game on tomorrow," Charlie says, "I'll invite him over. Won't mention anything about you or the Cullens." 

I smile. "Thanks dad. I don't know what I'd do without you." Charlie laughed.

"Yeah, how else would you know that the noodles are boiling over." 

"Crap!" I exclaim, spinning around and racing to the stove to avert the disaster. Charlie is snickering, and I turn to scowl at him. "Very funny." I grumble. 

"I thought so," he says cheerily. I roll my eyes, picking up the saucepan and crossing over to the sink to drain the water. "Is Edward coming over tonight?" Charlie asks. 

"Yeah," I nod. He looks like he doesn't know whether to smile or not. His opinion about Edward is mixed- on one hand, Edward is sort of the dream boyfriend, polite to Charlie, respectful of his boundaries (minus the fact Charlie didn't know he tended to spend the night in my bed) and fiercely protective of me. On the other hand, even though he'd left me for what he believed to be my own good, Charlie was struggling to forgive him for the pain his leaving had put me through, plus there was the little fact that Edward was a vampire. Charlie was doing his best to accept that, but it didn't change the fact it still made him uneasy. 

"Hmph," Charlie settles for a grunt. "Will you bring him along to the dinner with Billy tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking maybe Carlisle and Esme. They'd be able to explain things better, and they'll be calmer about the whole thing. If Billy starts verbally attacking me at all, they'll be able to stay objective, Edward won't."

"You think Billy might bad mouth you?" Charlie's face sets in an unhappy frown. 

"Yeah, I think it's a possibility. After all, I'm the skank who chose a filthy leech over his son." Charlie makes a growling sound.

"You are not a skank!"

"I know I'm not a skank, dad, but that's not what he'll be thinking." I say calmly. Charlie makes a frustrated noise and runs a hand through his thinning hair. 

"Goddamn it. I remember when life used to be simple." He sighs. 

"Gotta miss those days." I agree. 

-

Charlie's house only has two bedrooms, and it doesn't have a study or a spare room that can be turned into an extra bedroom, so Luna has been sharing my room. I don't mind- quite the opposite, really; I love having Luna so close. Esme helped me buy a double bed that sort of matched the interior of my room, and Edward and Emmett helped me put it together.

People would probably think it was weird, the way we curled up together at night, but even though it's been nearly a month since she escaped from where she was being held captive, Luna craves company and touch. She's still skin and bones, and her silver eyes are haunted.

Edward still spends the night, a few times a week, and I end up in the middle of the sandwich, Luna on one side, Edward on the other. Luna alternates between sleeping all the time and not sleeping at all. 

After I woke her up for dinner, Luna had managed to eat about half the plate of spaghetti before going upstairs to bed. I could hear the radio playing soft music all the way from down here- Luna hated silence, any background noise was good noise. 

Charlie had retired to the couch to watch the game, and Edward and I ended up in the kitchen, for lack of anywhere else to sit. 

Having Edward back... well, with him and Luna with me, I felt whole for the first time since I'd fled England. I loved them both, my best friend and the man (vampire) I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And I had friends, great friends, here in Forks; Alice, Angela and Katie. Now I just needed Jacob to talk to me again, and my little corner of the world would be perfect again.

All I'd have to do was ignore the shadow of war.

"Have you thought about college?" Edward asks. I'm sitting on his lap, as he brushes kisses along the top of my head. 

"College?" I ask, twisting around so I'm practically straddling him and can look up at his face. 

"Graduation is coming up," he reminds me, "have you considered what you're going to do after that?" I bite my lip, thinking. After Edward had left, I'd practically decided on applying to go to Salem Witches Academy so I could sit my NEWTs, but now... 

I didn't want to be separated from him. I wanted to stay with him, to wake up beside him everyday, to spend my time by his side, then go to sleep next to him at night. I couldn't do that if I went to Salem, and I didn't want to be separated from him again.

I had a muggle education. I was going to graduate with decent enough scores that I should be able to get into a university and then...

Then I'd have made my choice. I'd have chosen the muggle world over the magical one. If I hadn't sat my NEWTs, I'd never be able to get an apprenticeship; I'd never be able to find work outside a menial job. 

"Bella?" Edward asks, and I realize I've been silent for too long while I was thinking. 

"I don't know." I tell him, honestly. "University... I guess we'll need one without too much sun." 

"So you're planning on going to a muggle university?" Edward presses, and I sigh, leaning forwards, resting my forehead against his chest. He runs his cold hands through my hair, and the motion is soothing. 

"When you weren't here I wasn't," I admit truthfully, "I was going to apply to Salem Witches Academy. I would have sat my NEWTs there, then gone on to get an apprenticeship. But I don't want to be away from you, Edward. I love you too much for that." 

"So you'll give up your magical education for me?" Edward sounds unhappy, which doesn't surprise me, and I pull back so I can look him firmly in the eye. 

"Edward, just because I don't pursue a future in the magical world, it doesn't mean I'm leaving it entirely. I'll always be a witch, but maybe... maybe I can be something else too. I like the idea of studying Literature, or history. I can get a degree in the Arts, and see where I go from there."

Edward still looks uncertain and I lift a hand to trace his jawline with my fingertips. He shudders slightly, and I thread my fingers through his hair, using my grip to pull his head down so I can kiss him. His lips are as icy as the rest of him, but a few warming charms ensure that the cold doesn't bother me. 

His fingers braided themselves into my hair, securing my face to his. My arms locked behind his neck, and I wished I was stronger- strong enough to keep him prisoner here. One hand slid down my back, pressing me tighter against his stone chest. Even through his sweater I could feel the cold of his skin and despite the warming charms I shiver- it was a shiver of pleasure, of happiness, but his hands began to loosen in response.

I knew I had about three seconds before he would sigh and pull us apart, saying something about how we'd risked my life enough for one day. Making the most of my last seconds, I crushed myself closer, molding myself to the shape of him. The tip of my tongue traced the curve of his lower lip; it was as flawlessly smooth as if it had been polished, and the taste- mmm!

Edward pulled my face away from his, breaking my hold with ease- bastard probably didn't even realize that I was using all my strength, instead he chuckled once, a low, throaty sound. His eyes were bright with the excitement he so rigidly disciplined. "Ah, Bella." He says.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." I tell him, giving him a sweet smile. 

"And I should feel sorry that you're not sorry, but I don't. Maybe you should go sit on another chair." I pout at him even as I exhale a little dizzily. 

"If you think that's necessary..." I give in, non-too graciously, and he smiles crookedly as I disentangle myself and slide off his lap, pulling out another chair for myself. 

"Where do you think I should go to university then?" I ask him, curiously. "I don't know a lot about muggle higher education." 

"Well, there's always Dartmouth." Edward says, far too innocently, and I narrow my eyes at him. 

"I said I don't know a  _lot_  about muggle higher education, not that I don't know  _anything_." I tell him. "Dartmouth is Ivy League- I don't have a unicorn's chance in hell of getting in."

"Are unicorns are real? Wait, that's not the point right now- Bella," to my surprise- and certainly not a pleasant one- he produced a set of application forms from his jacket pocket and laid it gently in from of me, before turning melted butterscotch eyes to me. "I think you'd like New Hampshire," he coaxed. "There's a full complement of night courses for me, and the forests are conveniently located for the avid hiker. Plentiful wildlife." He pulled out that crooked smile he knew I couldn't resist. I took a deep breath through my nose. "I'll let you pay me back, if that makes you happy," he promised. "If you want, I can charge you interest." 

"Like I could even get in without some enormous bribe!" I exclaim, "Or would that be part of the loan? The new Cullen wing of the library? Ugh." I throw my hands up in the air and he rolls his eyes at me. 

"You're exaggerating."

"Edward, my scores may be acceptable, but they aren't shining beacons of academic prowess." I tell him slowly, "even if I wrote the world's best application essay, I'm not at Ivy League level. Doing an application is pointless. I will, however, be happy to apply for other, more realistic universities." 

Edward gives me an unhappy face, but doesn't say anything, instead I start up my annoyingly sleek, modern, shiny-new laptop he'd 'lent' me after finding out I didn't own one, paired with its very own printer, and he helps me navigate the mystery that is the internet, finding applications for various colleges online that I print off and start going over.

At ten-thirty, Edward kisses me farewell and gives Charlie a polite goodbye, before driving home. I say my goodnight to Charlie and make my way upstairs to the bedroom Luna and I share, knowing that he'll be back within the next fifteen to twenty minutes.

I carefully open the door, making sure not to make too much noise. The room itself is dim, but the moonlight shining through the window reveals a small figure curled up on the bed, which is the main feature of the small room.

Drawing closer I can see Luna in more detail, sprawled across the covers, a pillow partially covering her face. It never failed to surprise me how silent she was in sleep, and how much older it made her look. Most people looked almost child-like in their sleep, but with Luna it was as if the illusion of dreamy, naïve youth was peeling back to show her true self. 

The radio is still playing, and after I change into my pajamas I slip under the covers beside her. Seemingly unconsciously, she shifts in place, curling into me as if seeking warmth. I wrap an arm around her, and let my eyes shut. 

I'm half asleep when Edward gracefully slides into the space next to me, careful to put a thick blanket between us so I don't freeze against his marble skin. He doesn't say anything and neither do I, just closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep, feeling safe and happy in between my two favorite people in the world.   
  



	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO:**   
  
  


**_Italy, Volterra: The Volturi_ **

_"Masters, you summoned us?"_

_"Ah, Jane, dear one," trilled Master Aro, "Felix and Demetri too- I have a very important job for you!"_

_Jane tilted her head, interest clear on her face. When the irritating Corin had summoned her, she'd originally been annoyed at the interruption. The stupid girl was young, moronic and absolutely in love with Master Aro- it was pathetic, and she hated the way Master Aro humored her, and dearly wished that he hadn't forbade Jane from using her Gift on her._

_Corin thought she was special, like she was the only one who Master Aro had recruited personally, that she was the only one he had taught to read and write, and speak different human tongues. That she was oh-so unique with her Gift- she wasn't. Master Aro had rescued Jane and Alec himself from the stake, when their village had tried burning them alive. He'd had his eye on them from when they were not even ten years old; he'd seen their potential. He had been the one to Turn them- pathetic Corin's Turning had been an accident, some vampire snacking on prostitutes had got his teeth in her neck, and was too lazy to finish the job._

_Jane had personally hunted him down and tortured him until he begged for death for his oversight._

_Jane really disliked Corin._

_Still, Corin's news that her Masters wanted to see her, Felix and Demetri was promising- the three of them, as well as her dear twin on occasion, were his most successful execution team, and they were sent out whenever a stupid vampire, or group of vampires, broke the laws the Masters had put in place to hide the existence of vampires from._

_"How can we help, Masters?" she asked them. "Is it to do with the Cullen's human pet?" she added, hopefully._

_If Jane really disliked Corin, then she hated the Cullens. She hated how Master Aro wanted Alice Cullen so desperately, and more then that, she despised how that worthless human had done something to her beloved Masters, something that made them let her go free. She had threatened Jane's Masters! She would die screaming for that, Jane would make sure of it- personally._

_"We have a task for you, dear ones," Master Aro informed them, "a vampire is creating a newborn army in America- and very close to where the Cullens currently reside." Jane's eyes widened, and she smiled eagerly._

_"The Cullens are making an army?" If they were, then nothing could stop her Masters from ordering their deaths, and no vampire would ever even think they deserved anything other then annihilation for breaking the rules that had kept the vampires safe for millennia._

_And when the Cullens were dead, the worthless human would have no one left to protect her._

_"I do not believe the Cullens are creating the army," Master Aro said, and disappointment had Jane's shoulders hunching, "but," continued her Master, "I believe we can use this to our advantage. Whoever is creating this army has broken the rules- they are threatening our exposure and are sentenced to death, as in accordance to our laws. And they will be... but first there is something they can do for us."_

_"There is, Master?"_

_"Yes. Why do you think an army is being created so far from the South, where they are usually amassed? Why Seattle? There's no one there the creator needs to fight for the territory. No, I believe the army is being created for a different purpose entirely. Vengeance."_

_Vengeance. That was something Jane was very familiar with._

_"Master... you think someone is creating an army to destroy a coven, in revenge?" she asked._

_"Yes," Master Aro smiled, "and guess which coven is closest." Jane's eyes widened, and she felt her smile stretch across her face, ear to ear._

_"The Cullens."_

-

-

I felt oddly buoyant as I walked from Spanish toward the cafeteria, and it wasn't just because I was holding hands with the most perfect person on the planet, though that was certainly part of it.

Maybe it was the knowledge that if tonight went well, Jacob might actually start talking to me again.

Or maybe it wasn't anything to do with me specifically. Maybe it was the atmosphere of freedom that hung over the entire campus. School was winding down, and, for the senior class especially, there was a perceptible thrill in the air.

Freedom was so close it was touchable, taste-able. Signs of it were everywhere. Posters crowded together on the cafeteria walls, and the trashcans wore a colorful skirt of spilled-over fliers: reminders to buy yearbooks, class rings, and announcements; deadlines to order graduation gowns, hats, and tassels; neon- bright sales pitches - the juniors campaigning for class office; ominous, rose-wreathed advertisements for this year's prom. 

Even with my friends, the main topic was graduation. 

"Have you sent your announcements, yet?" Angela asked when Edward and I sat down at our table. She had her light brown hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail instead of her usual smooth hairdo, and there was a slightly frantic look about her eyes. 

Alice and Katie were already there, too, on either side of Angela. Katie was intent over a book, the few words I could read upside-down as I peered over at her suggesting it was a Divination book. Alice was scrutinizing my boring jeans-and-a-t-shirt outfit in a way that made me self-conscious. Probably plotting another makeover. I sighed. My indifferent attitude to fashion was a constant thorn in her side. If I'd allow it, she'd love to dress me every day - perhaps several times a day- like some oversized three-dimensional paper doll.

"I guess you and Alice don't exactly need to," Angela continues, giving a quick smile to Edward, "but what about you, Bella?"

"Nope," I answer Angela. "No point. Charlie knows when I'm graduating- who else is there?"

"Not your mother?" Katie asks, looking up from the Divination book. I wince.

"Renée didn't cope well with the whole witch thing," I say, reluctant to go over this, but wanting to be honest to my friend, "I was twelve when I stopped returning to her over the holidays- I stayed with Luna and just visited her over the summer holidays. Then she got engaged, and, well, she refused to tell her fiancé what I was. I don't think I've spoken to her since." 

"Wow, I feel like a jerk now." Katie mutters, looking glum. "Sorry, Bella." 

"Don't sweat it. It's not your fault she's the way she is." I sigh, before stealing an apple off Angela's tray and taking a big bite out of it. Angela mock-scowls at me, before turning to Katie.

"How about you, Katie?" she asks. "Any announcements to send out?" Katie shrugs.

"Mum's stuck in Britain, and dad's staying with her." She answers, "and Daniel's a teacher here, so he obviously knows." 

"Hearing you call Mr. Banner 'Daniel' will never stop being weird," Angela says, even as she reaches across to gently squeeze Katie's hand. Katie gives a weak smile back at her.

"We're a sorry bunch," she says, and I lift up Angela's orange juice in a mock toast. 

"Cheers to that!" 

"Give me back my juice," Angela grumbles, snatching it back. "Well, 沉默 (mum) has about a hundred siblings and a thousand cousins and she expects me to hand-address an announcement to every one of them. I'm going to get carpal tunnel. I can't put it off any longer and I'm just dreading it." 

"So Qiang's invited?" I ask, and Angela nods. "Charlie will be happy about that," I laugh. Angela pouts.

"Go ahead, laugh at my pain!" she says, theatrically spinning around so her back is facing me. "Cruel wench!" 

"Aw, I'll help you Angie," I volunteer, and she turns back around to face me, genuine relief on her face. "If you don't mind my awful handwriting, that is." I add.

"Me too," Katie pipes up. 

"I'd be happy to help." Alice looks excited to be able to say that- the Cullens have lived a pretty solitary existence, and Alice in particular is always marveling at the fact she has a group of friends outside her family and the vampire world she can interact with, and enjoy spending time with. "And I have perfect handwriting." She announces smugly. 

"As do I," Edward says, with a smile, "I would be glad to help as well- I owe you and your family a great debt for what you did for Bella." 

I wince slightly at the subtle reminder, one hand reaching up to touch the faint red scar that reaches across my jawline. The turtleneck sweaters I've taken to wearing hides how it spreads down my neck, past my collarbones. Edward gives me an apologetic look, reaching out to squeeze my hand gently. 

Angela looks like the vet called to announce her puppy's cancer has been successfully eradiated, and will now live its projected sixteen years in full health and happiness. "Thanks everyone." She near about beams at us all, "we can do it any time that suits you guys."

"Well I can't do it tonight- I talked to Charlie last night, after you and Katie left; he agreed with Katie's plan and he's invited Billy over for the game and an... I guess you could call it 'intervention'." I use my fingers to make quotation signs. 

"How about we kick Edward out and make it a girl's night?" Alice suggests, "Luna can join us- I'll host; Carlisle and Esme will love to have a weekend off somewhere, so will Emmett and Rosalie, and Edward and Jasper can go off hunting." 

"If you're sure it won't be a bother," Angela says, already looking excited at the prospect. 

"Not at all." Alice assures her. Edward gives a mock-sigh.

"I know when I'm not wanted," he says, in a mournful voice. We all laugh.

"What do you think we should do?" Alice asks, excitedly, her mind already racing. "It shouldn't take more then half an hour to complete the announcements with all of us helping, no matter how extended your family is."

"Alice," I caution, "let's keep it in the continental U.S.." Alice pouts at me, but I keep my expression stern and she wilts.

"Fine." She sighs, over-dramatically, before she, Katie and Angela burst into discussion about things to do in Port Angeles or maybe Hoquiam; a discussion that abruptly halted when her usually oh-so animated face suddenly went blank. 

Alice's expression was something I recognized- an expression that sent an automatic shock of panic through my body ( _hotelroomsPhoenixheatpapersketchvisionvisionvision_ ). The vacant look in her eyes told me that she was seeing something very different from the mundane lunchroom scene that surrounded us, but something that was every bit as real in its own way. Something that was coming, something that would happen soon.

"Alice?" Angela kept repeating, until Alice blinked, coming back to the present. 

"I think we should head further then Hoquiam this weekend." Is all she says, before forcibly changing the subject.

The conversation never reclaims its levity, and I was confident we were all left uneasy as the school-bell rung, and Alice disappeared from the room, so fast it was like she'd apparated. I raised an eyebrow at Edward, but he just shook his head.

"Later."

"How much later?" I pushed. He grimaced slightly. 

"After the talk with Billy." I narrow my eyes.

"Any particular reason, or are you just putting it off?" I question. For a moment I think he's going to admit that he's putting it off, when his face clears suddenly.

"Actually, there is a particular reason." He says, as if he's just realized it himself. When he doesn't say anything else I sigh and accept this is the best I'm going to get.

"After the talk with Billy. I'm holding you to that." I say, before letting him lead the way through the throng of students to our next class.

-

I'm anxious, and I can't stop my foot tapping against the floor, or turning my DA coin between my fingers.

Luna, Carlisle, Esme and I are sitting around the kitchen table that I've temporarily enlargened for the purpose of this 'dinner' tonight. There's a pan of lasagna with herb bread sitting in the center of the table, under stasis and warming charms while we wait for Charlie to return from La Push with our guest, slash victim. 

Esme has drawn Luna into a serene sort of conversation about painting, the motherly woman seemingly delighted by Luna's interest and appreciation of art. 

I'm so distracted that I'm surprised when Luna reaches out and taps my hand. "Calm down," she tells me, looking a lot more focused then usual. "The jibberwabbs have quite clearly said that Mister Swan won't be here for another six and a half minutes."

"Are you a Seer, Luna?" Carlisle asks my best friend, curiously. Luna smiles at him, her silver eyes losing their brief show of focus.

"Oh no, Mister Carlisle," she says, in her wispy voice, "I'm not a Seer, not at all, but the little creatures, the ones that no one else sees, whisper to me; they tell me things. You see, Jibberwabbs can peek into the future, Blibbering Humdingers will always remember what has been, and Nargles... well they just know all sorts of things, the naughty pests."

"Jibberwabbs? Any relations to the Jabberwocky?" Carlisle asks, having processed Luna's strange explanation much faster then people usually do, his vampire speed mind no doubt aiding that, and Esme frowns at him, the very maternal woman taking his question as an insult towards Luna; a teasing remark.

I'm fairly certain he's genuinely curious.

Come to think of it, so am I- Lewis Carroll and Luna seem to exist on a very similar wavelength...

Luna looks at Carlisle with a mixture of bewilderment and worry present on her face. "Are you okay, Mister Carlisle?" She asks, reaching over to place a palm over Carlisle's forehead. She hmms to herself, leaning back from a shocked-still Carlisle, who couldn't seem to process she'd just  _touched_  him, a  _vampire_ , observing him gravely. "Mister Carlisle, there is no such thing as a Jabberwocky- if you are seeing or communicating with one, I advise you contact a doctor immediately."

Carlisle looks like he doesn't know what to say. Esme is visibly trying not to laugh.

"I'm a doctor, Luna," he says, finally. "And a vampire." He adds as an afterthought, as though that fact hadn't occurred to him first thing.

Luna's presence does tend to tip one's mind off kilter.

"Oh, that's right," Luna says, before continuing on and completely disregarding Carlisle's slightly more important reminder of his supernatural status, "I've always heard doctors make the worst patients. Finding one willing to treat you might be difficult."

Carlisle looks like he doesn't now what to say. Esme is openly giggling, though she is doing so behind her hand, in a very lady-like manner. I just smile.

There isn't much else one can do when faced with the dreaded 'Luna Logic'. If it could be weaponized, it's wielder could quite possibly rule the universe. And I'm fairly certain that's not an exaggeration.

The sound of Charlie's cruiser pulling up knocks me out of my distractedly relaxed state, and my nerves quickly resurface. Luna threads her fingers through my hand, the one not clenching onto the DA galleon, and squeezes gently. I take as much comfort from her presence as I can, as I listen to the front door open, and the sound of Billy's wheelchair as Charlie pushes him into the kitchen.

They round the corner, Charlie and Billy, and I can literally pinpoint the moment Billy realizes the Cullens are present- his face shuts down, his upper body tensing in tightly restrained anger.

"Charlie," his voice is stiff, a sign that he is angry- very angry, "what the hell's going on?" 

"Billy," Charlie says, looking both serious and pained, "I'm sorry, but this is an intervention."

 


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE:**

 

**_England, Wiltshire: the Death Eaters_ **

_The room was large, dimly lit, and sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering most of the stone floor. Pale-faced portraits in ornate frames decorated the walls. The room itself was full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room's usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls. Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror and many candles, all burning weakly._

_Three of the people sitting there would barely be recognizable by those who had once known them. Lucius Malfoy's skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. Sitting beside him, his wife was pale with sharply jutting cheekbones, her long blonde hair hanging limp around her face. Finally, to the right of the once oh-so regal Narcissa Malfoy was Draco Malfoy; looking young and skinny. His hands, hidden under the table, were shaking violently, and his grey eyes were bloodshot._

_In his trembling fingers, he was clutching an object as if from it he was gathering all the courage he could possibly muster. He was not the only one at the table to be doing so, but while most were clenching onto their wands with iron grips, Draco Malfoy held a daisy._

_Unexpectedly, a foul draft burst through one of the high-placed rear windows, snuffing out all the decaying candles strewn about the dank space, the roaring fire spluttering out to ashes.  The air suddenly grew noxious and fetid, as a dense black smog swirled around the head of the tables. The occupants drew in a collective breath._

_Out of the smoke materialized Lord Voldemort, his crimson eyes burning bright. Around the table, collective spines straightened at the sight of their leader._

_"I am..." began the Dark Lord, his voice barely louder then a whisper. Suddenly a few Death Eaters were flung from their stools like ragdolls; the bodies nearly cracking the plaster of the ceilings and walls. Bones cracking on impact made sickening sounds like the snapping of twigs. The table and its contents sprung up from the floor and instantly exploded into a maelstrom of splinters and glass shards. Hands flew to shield faces and eyes as the once silent room was plunged into complete and utter entropy. Blood poured from freshly formed wounds. Bright flashes of red erupted rapid fire from two pallid hands concealed within the darkness._

_When the lights settled, the candles burst to life once more, fire springing up in the hearth. Writhing, groaning bodies were now strewn across the floor, and before them all stood one._

_"...disappointed." Came the final word, slipping like tepid sludge from the paper-thin lips._

-

-

_Last Chapter:_

_They round the corner, Charlie and Billy, and I can literally pinpoint the moment Billy realizes the Cullens are present- his face shuts down, his upper body tensing in tightly restrained anger._

_"Charlie," his voice is stiff, a sign that he is angry- very angry, "what the hell's going on?"_

_"Billy," Charlie says, looking both serious and pained, "I'm sorry, but this is an intervention."_

_Now:_

"Intervention?" Billy demanded, gruffly, eyes shifting uneasily from Carlisle and Esme, then to Charlie and I, then back to the Cullens again. Despite the fact he was trying to hide it, everyone in the room could see his fear of the vampire couple; fear and hatred. "What the heck are you talkin' about, Charlie?" 

"Billy, we've been friends a long time- longer then either of us probably care to think about. Which is why I'm confused as all hell about your attitude towards the Cullens. Yeah, they're vampires, but they're not bad- you think I'd let my daughter date one of them if I wasn't a hundred percent sure of that fact?" demanded Charlie.

"It ain't hard to understand- they're  _vampires_ , Charlie!" growled Billy, "Evil bloodsucking leeches! They're abominations! They're not even human!" He looks challengingly over at Carlisle and Esme, as if daring them to say otherwise. 

"You realize how discriminatory that sounds, right?" I ask, unable to keep quiet, even though I probably (definitely) should. "And it's hypocritical!"

"How is it hypocritical?" Billy growls. 

"Uh, let me think, maybe because your son isn't human either?" I say sarcastically. 

"What?" Charlie asks- actually, 'yelps' is probably a better description of the sound he made. 

Billy and I ignore him.

"Jacob's nothing like those leeches- he's human as I am and Charlie is, just with something extra!" argues Billy.

"That's bullshit, Billy! Humans can't just change their entire body mass, shifting into wolves the size of horses! He's closer to the Cullens, then he is to you!" I argue back. 

"Jacob turns into a  _wolf_?" 

Charlie is ignored again.

"He is not like one of your filthy vampires!" Billy shouts, "He is nothing like those  _murderers_!"

"The Cullens aren't murderers! They feed on animals- just like you do! You eat meat, right? What's the difference between drinking the blood and the eating flesh? Personally, I think eating the flesh is far grosser!" I shout back. 

"Can you tell me that none of the Cullens have ever killed a human being?" demanded Billy.

"I have never ended the life or touched the blood of a single human in the three hundred plus years I've been alive." Carlisle says, involving himself in the 'conversation' for the first time since Billy and I started shouting at each other. 

I probably should have invited Jasper instead- he might have been able to keep everyone calm...ish. 

"And can you tell me that none of your ' _kids'_  have ever killed a human?" Billy gives Carlisle a look of disgust.  

"No, I cannot. But I can tell you that every life taken was mourned deeply, and the losses were unintentional." Carlisle says, quietly, bowing his head slightly.  

"See!" Billy shoves a finger in Carlisle's direction, face triumphant. "They're killers! He admits it himself!"

"Those deaths were out of their control! Completely unintentional! Not unlike a- a car accident! An accident that, though tragic, is out of the driver's control, and often occurs through circumstances they'd wish never had come about, and that they fully regret!"  

"They're abominations!" Billy says darkly. "The world would be better if they never existed!" 

"You've already said that three or four times- do you seriously have no other argument then they're 'abominations' for why the Cullens are supposedly evil, bloodsucking leeches?" I challenge heatedly. "The Cullens are better then a whole lot of humans are- murderers, rapists, abusers, pedophiles, wife-beaters; they're the real abominations, human beings who don't have any excuse for acting the way they do! The Cullens defy their most basic of instincts so as to not harm anyone, that's more then a whole lot of humans can ever say!"  

"They are murderers!" Billy repeats, "and if hell exists, that's where they'll burn, along with all the other monsters out there- human or creature! Nothing excuses murder-  _nothing_!"  

My blood runs cold, and when I speak, it isn't the angry shout from before, but rather a low voice, shaking slightly with barely controlled rage and pain. "You don't think there's ever an excuse for murder? What about your son, I assume he's killed a vampire before."  

"They're not human," Billy snaps. 

"Oh, but the foulest dregs of humanity are, and therefore killing them counts as murder?"  

Billy meets my eyes, his cold. "Yes."  

I stand up abruptly, and my chair skids backwards, almost toppling over. "Well guess what, Billy? I'm an abomination too- I killed two humans. They were evil, planning on either imprisoning, torturing or killing me- or probably all three- so I shot them dead. And by your standards, that makes me a monster. So you can just  _fuck_  off, you  _fucking_  arsehole! I don't ever want to see your  _fucking_  face again!" My rant steadily grows in volume until by the end I'm shouting. My sight has gone blurry, and I angrily rub my eyes with the back of my sleeve, wiping away the tears. 

"You have one of the largest infestations of wrackspurts I've ever seen, Mister Black." Luna says, and I look over at her, shocked by how strong and sharp her voice is. Her silver eyes are clear and intent as they pierce Billy's, almost eerie in their single focus. "I think you should leave until it's cleared up."  

"I'll drive you home." Charlie says, abruptly, standing up. "Then you should take Luna's advice- you're my best friend, but I don't want to talk to you until you've got your head screwed on right."

I leave the room, sending Billy a final glare. He at least has the courtesy to look shocked, with hints of regret and sympathy, but I just don't care right now. 

-

I was crying angry tears. Nobody looks attractive when they're crying, but I imagined I looked particularly terrible, with puffy, bloodshot eyes, a streaming nose and mussed hair from the pillow I'd buried my face in.

I feel the moment the mattress dips, and cool breath brushes against the back of my neck as Edward gently kisses the flushed skin between my shoulder blades. Slender, icy fingers follow the path of my spine, and I can't help but shiver slightly, finding the movements oddly erotic despite my current emotional state. As if sensing where my thoughts are going, the trailing fingers stop, and Edward speaks up, his voice oh-so concerned. 

"Bella, my love, you are not a monster. You could burn the world to the ground and I would still never believe that someone with a heart as pure and beautiful as yours could ever be evil. If there's a heaven and a hell, you'll spend your afterlife in the clouds, love."

I roll over so I'm on my back and push myself up, sort of awkwardly, so I'm slumped in Edward's arms. He cradles me carefully, like I'm made of glass. Which I sort of feel like I am at the moment, with misery thick and heavy in my chest.

"I suppose only the good die young." I say, morbidly, with a sort of huffed laugh, my joking, albeit flat, tone belying the way I'm clinging to Edward like I'm about to shatter into thousands of pieces. Edward stiffens.

"Bella," he says, slowly and carefully, "what do you mean by that?" I can feel my heart beating in my chest, wild and out of beat, and like it's telling me how many times I'd come close to death. Edward lifts a hand, the tips of his long, elegant fingers pressing gently over it, feeling what must be mouthwatering, wet thudding.

"All those close calls I've had." I mumble. "Eventually one of them will stick." 

"Never," Edward says, and his voice is dark and strong, and he pulls me around and looks at me with his golden eyes, looks at me like he's not seeing my swollen, tear-streaked, stuffy nosed, currently entirely unattractive self, instead seeing something... breathtaking. 

I exhale shakily as he leans down and kisses me, softly and sweetly, over and over again. He pulls back after a moment, still holding me in place, but I'm not ready for the moment to end. Instinctively, my hand moves to his head, fingers running through his hair, as I force him right back to me. He makes a murmured sound, not fighting it, and kisses me deeper. Soft and sweet turns firm and frenzied, the once feather light kisses now almost brutalizing my lips with the sweetest of violence. 

When we part, my breath is heavy and my body feels hypersensitive in a way that makes me want to plaster myself on him, to feel his cold tongue trailing from my collar-bone down my chest, to my rock-hard nipp– 

"Bella," Edward's velvety voice interrupts my fantasy, and I look up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "I love you." He says, and I feel the tears return, stinging my poor eyes.

"I love you too," I tell him, meaning every word I say, "I need you to promise me something, Edward," 

"Anything," he vows. 

"If I die- no, don't interrupt, just listen; if I die, you have to promise me that you'll live. Promise me that, Edward. Promise so that even if I'm not alive in this world, at least my heart is."

"Bella..." Edward's voice is agonized.

"Promise!" 

"I..." almost panicky, he looks down at me, his hands trailing through my hair. "I-  _Bella_ ,"

"Luna. Alice. Angela. Katie. Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Carlisle... live for them, for  _me_."

"I promise." Edward says, quietly. I sigh. 

"Tonight was a disaster." I mutter. Edward hums softly. 

"I'm sure there have been worse dinners."

"Really?" I ask doubtfully. "Like what?"   
"Well," he says, and I can hear the amusement in his voice, "the dining scene from  _Alien_  comes to mind.

I bury my head in his chest as I laugh, feeling the hard marble beneath my cheek. "Thank you." I mumble against him, and he runs a hand through my hair in a soothing, repetitive motion. His chest is moving up and down as he breathes air he doesn't need, will never need, and for one brief, unattainable moment, I pretend I can hear his heartbeat, the steady sounds lulling me to sleep.

I never realize I haven't asked Edward about Alice's earlier vision. 

-

_Luna and I are younger, smaller. We're in the front yard of the Rook, gardening, and Luna's wearing a truly horrific set of eye-gouging pink robes, trimmed in yellow lace with a large lime-green lily fascinator and purple fishnet cloak and we're laughing together, everything is light and happy. And then faceless figures in dark robes wearing white skull masks surround us. Red light hits me and pain, so much pain... Luna is screaming and screaming and I look over at her just in time for the Rook to explode in a ball of fire, burying my best friend in rubble. Now I'm screaming and screaming and suddenly I'm holding a gun in my hand. Death Eaters fall to the ground, blood exploding out of them like geysers, spraying meters in every direction. And then the mask falls off one, and it's Luna's face looking up at me, Luna's blood leaking everywhere, and I'm screaming again, kneeling next to her, my hands desperately pressed against her chest, blood spurting between my hands, soaking them, but Luna's chest is still, her heart isn't beating, the world is burning around me and_ -

-and I wake up in a cold sweat, a scream on my lips, heart stopping in fear, with the phantom pains of the Cruciatus Curse. My own shrieks of dream agony lingered in my ears, and strangled noise escapes my mouth as I jolt up from the dream (nightmare). In a fraction of a second, I just know this was one of  _those_  times. 

I can feel it, the way all of my senses suddenly hone and sharpen and  _flare_.

I gasp for air, my chest heaving as I struggle to breathe, my stomach twisting up so much I start coughing and dry heaving, nothing in my stomach present to come up. My heart is racing and I can't feel my fingers anymore. My eyelids flutter, then snap wide open as my fuzzy mind eventually detects more presences in my personal space.  

A surge of pure panic washes over me, causing my mind to leap over miles at the terrifying aspect of having another present at my vulnerable moment.  

"Bella, Bella, Bella," I recognize the voice, velvet and comforting, cold arms pulling me against a hard chest. "Breathe, Bella, love."

Small, thin, warm hands stroke my hair, and someone's humming softly. I curl up in the cold arms that are cradling me, and wait for the panic attack to pass, held in the embrace of my best friend and true love.

When I can finally breathe again, I manage to stumble to my feet, Edward supporting me as I sway, trying to get my balance. "Love?" he asks, and I mumble something that sounds a bit like 'bathroom'- I hope. I can't really tell. 

I splash my face with cold water, leaning against the sink, breathing heavily. My hands are small and pale, clenched around the sink's edge, and they're shaking. I hold them up, staring at them, and I can almost see Luna's blood on them. It's without thinking that I turn the tap on and start scrubbing at my hands, trying to get the blood off my hands, out from under my nails and in my nail beds.

_'Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—'_

"Bella, Bella love- there's nothing on your hands-" Edward says, gently grasping my wrists, but I struggle fiercely until he lets go, lest he hurt me. "You're imagining it," he tells me, but I can see it, I can  _smell_  it, and I keep scrubbing, even as the skin turns red and raw, then splits at the base of my nails.  

_'Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!—'_

"Bella, you're hurting yourself." Edward's voice is stern, and this time he doesn't let me pull out of his grip, instead forcefully guides me back to my room. Luna is sitting on our bed, looking pale but alive, and Edward releases me as I curl up next to her, hugging her tight. 

Luna hums something under her breath, then starts singing softly, an old wizarding lullaby her mother used to sing her. Eventually I fall back asleep.

-

I wake up tired, swollen-eyed and distinctly unhappy at around ten. Luna is curled up at my side reading one of my old paperbacks, giving me a small smile as I glance at her, while Edward is sitting, leaning up against the headboard, running his fingers through my hair, almost like he's stroking me like a kitten. "Good morning, love." He says quietly. 

"You're half right." I say, before sighing and wriggling over so my head is in his lap. He pauses in his movements briefly, before continuing with the stroking. 

"I assume you won't be going to school today?" he asks. I shake my head.

"Not today."

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" he offers, but I shake my head again.

"I just... I think I'll just sit on the couch eating ice-cream and watching movies with Luna." I decide. "We've been planning on having a day or two together, anyway." Edward nods and kisses my forehead. 

"I'm surprised Charlie didn't wake me up," I say, looking over at the clock as he stands up. Edward huffs out a grim sort of laugh.

"With the way you were screaming and crying last night, I'm surprised he didn't stay home himself. It took Luna about thirty minutes to convince him that yes, he should go to work today." 

"Oh." I say, quietly. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Edward offers, and I shake my head- violently. 

"No! No, not... not yet. I'm not ready." Edward kisses my forehead.

"Okay, love. Just... know that you can tell me anything." 

"I know- I love you, Edward."

"I love you too, Bella." Edward vanishes out the window, and I turn to Luna, who has carefully placed a bookmark in the paperback. 

"So... a movie day. That sounds lovely." She smiles at me.

-

"Am I a bad person, Luna?" I ask her. Luna and I are cuddled up on the couch, with some sort of rom-com playing on the TV that's plot I'm barely concentrating on, but so far it's been fairly predictable. 

"What makes a person bad?" Luna muses, resting her cheek on my shoulder. "Do you feel like a bad person?"

"Yes." I say glumly. She pats my cheek. 

"Well that's your answer." 

"I am a bad person, then." I slump back into the cushions, feeling even more dejected then before. Luna looks at me, puzzled. 

"No, silly Miss Masen, you're a  _good_  person." She says, as if it's incredibly bloody obvious (it's not). "A bad person wouldn't think they were a bad person, therefore if a person thinks they are a bad person they are probably a good person."

"I... sort of get that." I say, slowly. She smiles fondly at me. 

"Stop letting those wrackspurts make you all woebegone." She kisses my cheek, and snuggles into my side. I wrap an arm around her and snuggle right back. 

"I think I'll go back to school tomorrow." I decide. 

"I do think that's a good idea." Luna agrees, "It would never do to let those pesky umbigular slashkilters get a foothold."

"Exactly." I smile at her, before turning my attention to the television screen. "I bet you five knuts he ends up with her." I point. Luna peers at the screen. 

"But they don't love each other." She frowns. 

"No, but they want each other. Those sort of romances would never last, but it's kinda nice to hope, you know. That's why they make them." Luna looks thoughtfully at the screen and is silent for a long moment. 

"Do you believe in true love, Bella?" She asks, suddenly. I blink, surprised by the unexpected question, but I truthfully answer almost instantly. 

"I love Edward with nearly everything that I am. I'd do anything for him." I tell her, honestly. 

"What if he asked you to do something you didn't like? Like... hurt me?" Luna presses. I frown, feeling concerned about where this conversation is going. 

"But that's exactly why I can say I'd do anything for him, Luna. Because I know he'd never ask me to do something like that. I trust him with everything I am and everything that's important to me- that includes you and Charlie." 

"Ah," Luna nods, face startlingly open and serious. "I... I think I understand."

"Why do you want to know?" I ask her, feeling concerned. 

"I am... attempting to figure something out." Luna confesses, "I think I might love someone, but I'm uncertain if love is what I feel. I read in one of the books in your room that to love is no matter what a person does to you, you still couldn't hate them; not if they killed your loved ones, tortured you, took your life, or destroyed your soul." I instantly shake my head. 

"No, Luna, god no, that's not love, that's... that's a whole different bag of cats- a psychologist's wet dream! Codependency, obsession, possible Stockholm Syndrome... that's not love, Luna." I tell her, before concentrating on an earlier part of her statement. "Wait, what? Luna... who do you think you're in love with?" I ask, wide-eyed. 

I'd always viewed Luna as Utterly Asexual. She'd never ever been an overtly sexual being, had never displayed romantic interest in anyone and I wasn't sure if she'd even kissed a boy (or girl) yet. 

"I don't know if I love them," Luna sounds uncharacteristically frustrated. "But I... I find myself missing him dearly."

Him. That was at least one part of the mystery of Luna Lovegood solved... unless she was bisexual. Or pansexual. So that didn't actually solve anything. 

Damn. 

"How do you know if you're in love?" She asks. 

"Uh... well, I think it sort of depends on the person. With Edward, I sort of- got nervous around him, I guess? Like, a good nervous. And I started noticing stuff about him- like, little details, stuff I might not normally notice, and then it just came to the point where I just sort of realized that I liked him- really, really liked him."

"Oh," she looks thoughtfully at the television screen. The two actors I pointed out earlier are kissing, wrapped around each other, and a moment later the credits start to play. "You were right." She says and smiles serenely. "I'm glad."

I'm not sure anymore that I am.   
  
  


**A/N: Slightly darker chapter, I know, but murder- even the murder of 'bad guys'- doesn't exactly come easy! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**

 


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

  
  


**_Shell Cottage, Tinworth, England: Harry Potter_ **

_"Harry, you're planning something with Griphook."_

_It was a statement, not a question, and Harry did not bother to deny it. He merely looked at Bill, waiting._

_"I know goblins," said Bill. "I've worked for Gringotts ever since I left Hogwarts. As far as there can be friendship between wizards and goblins, I have goblin friends- or, at least, goblins I know well, and like." Again, Bill hesitated._

_"Harry, what do you want from Griphook, and what have you promised him in return?"_

_"I can't tell you that," said Harry. "Sorry, Bill."_

_The kitchen door opened behind them; Fleur was trying to bring through more empty goblets._

_"Wait," Bill told her, "Just a moment."_

_She backed out and he closed the door again._

_"Then I have to say this," Bill went on. "If you have struck any kind of bargain with Griphook, and most particularly if that bargain involves treasure, you must be exceptionally careful. Goblin notions of ownership, payment, and repayment are not the same as human ones."_

_Harry felt a slight squirm of discomfort, as though a small snake had stirred inside him._

_"What do you mean?" he asked._

_"We are talking about a different breed of being," said Bill. "Dealings between wizards and goblins have been fraught for centuries, but you'll know all that from History of Magic. There has been fault on both sides; I would never claim that wizards have been innocent. However, there is a belief among some goblins, and those at Gringotts are perhaps most prone to it, that wizards cannot be trusted in matters of gold and treasure, that they have no respect for goblin ownership."_

_"I respect-" Harry began, but Bill shook his head._

_"You don't understand, Harry, nobody could understand unless they have lived with goblins. To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs."_

_"But it was bought -"_

_"Then they would consider it rented by the one who had paid the money. They have, however, great difficulty with the idea of goblin-made objects passing from wizard to wizard. You saw Griphook's face when the tiara passed under his eyes. He disapproves. I believe he thinks, as do the fiercest of his kind, that it ought to have been returned to the goblins once the original purchaser died. They consider our habit of keeping goblin-made objects, passing them from wizard to wizard without further payment, little more than theft."_

_Harry had an ominous feeling now; he wondered whether Bill guessed more than he was letting on._

_"All I am saying," said Bill, setting his hand on the door back into the sitting room, "is to be very careful what you promise goblins, Harry. It would be less dangerous to break into Gringotts than to renege on a promise to a goblin."_

_"Right," said Harry as Bill opened the door, "yeah. Thanks. I'll bear that in mind."_

_As he followed Bill back to the others a wry thought came to him, born no doubt of the wine he had drunk. He seemed set to become just as reckless a godfather to Teddy Lupin as Sirius Black had been to him._

-

-

After my day spent moping around the house, school seemed... well, almost like a breath of fresh air. Being surrounded by my classmates, whose biggest worries were finals, or if their crush was going to invite them to the prom, was... a relief. Everything in my life was so serious and grave at the moment, the levity of high school was a balm to my strung tight nerves.

Classes were easy, with the teachers letting us study for the upcoming exams, and when I settled down at our usual table with Edward, Angela and Katie, I felt better then I had since the intervention disaster (except for the fact that Alice isn't sitting with us, which terrifies me slightly- Alice is one of those people you like to have in your sight at all times, because you never know what terrible, mortifying thing they could be planning and/or doing away from your careful supervision). 

"Is anyone here planning on going to prom?" Katie asks, suddenly, and I'm pulled from my slightly paranoid thoughts regarding the missing vampire, and turn to face the blond, whose cheeks are slightly pink.

"Ben asked me to go with him, but... well, he's not who I want to go with." Angela admits. 

"Who do you want to go with?" I ask curiously, not recalling any recent crushes she's told us about. I knew that the last prom, the one I'd missed due to James, the homicidal vampire who wanted to torture me to death to beat Edward in some sort of vampire pissing match about who had the bigger fangs and planned on using my death to do so, and the girl's choice dance Angela had gone with Ben too- they weren't exactly  _dating_  dating, but I thought they were together, in some sort of abstract way.

Apparently not. 

At my question, Angela blushes, which really piques my curiosity and interest. 

"You really like this person!" I realize, slightly shocked. She blushes harder, and Edward smiles gently at her, his long, slender fingers gently twined around mine under the table. 

"You should ask them." He advises. "I truly believe you'll be pleasantly surprised." Angela takes a deep breath, as if steeling her nerves, and then turns to Katie.

"Will you be my date to the prom?" She blurts out, her cheeks rapidly staining dark red. Katie turns pink and squeaks in surprise (which I do too, albeit without the blushing, although I am reasonably confident I almost dislocated my jaw with how quickly it dropped open). 

"I- I'd love to," Katie stammers, and she and Angela sort of look at each other, then at their hands, both blushing but looking pleased. I could barely hold in my excited gushing and hundred and one questions, as I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be, but the just-arrived Alice had no such compunctions.

"You two are perfect together!" she squeals, perching on the edge of her seat, a huge, beaming smile on her face. Edward rolls her eyes at her, but she doesn't even acknowledge his exasperation. 

"What were you doing?" I ask her, a touch warily. She looks back at me, all doe-eyed and innocent. I don't fall for it. 

"Joining the prom committee, of course." I'm not ashamed to say my entire face paled.

"Oh dear, sweet Rowena." I breathe, horrified.

"Of course, I'm a little late, but better late then never, I always say." Alice continues,

"No, I'm pretty sure never would be better." I mutter, but the pixie vampire just talks over me,

"I have so many good ideas," she sighs, happily. I think about crying, and then realize something which makes my whole body sag in relief- I'm not going to the stupid thing, anyway.

Alice suddenly turns her whole body to face me, and a shiver of nerves creeps down my spine. "We should go dress shopping after we've finished writing Angela's announcements." She smiles.

"I can help you guys pick out your dresses." I agree, accepting the shopping trip with, what I felt, was exceptionally good grace. 

"And we'll help you pick out yours." Alice says, all sweet as sugar, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"Oh I don't need a dress," I say, a perfectly pleasant smile on my face.

"Well, seeing as none of your clothes are suitable for a prom..."

"Of course, that doesn't matter, seeing as I won't be attending the prom, I won't need a dress suitable for one." 

"You will go to the prom." Alice says, fiercely, her eyes, dark today, like she hasn't fed for several days, fixed on mine with an almost unnerving intensity. 

"I will not." I disagree, crossing my arms against my chest. Alice glares at me, for several moments, before changing tactics in a blink of an eye. Her eyes are suddenly enormous, and her lower lip is trembling.

"I wanted us to all have a special time," she bloody whimpers, her eyes all shiny like if it was possible for her to cry, she would be bawling. "I've never gone to a dance with my best friends before... I don't know if I'll ever get the chance again..."

My resolve threatens to shatter into a billion, unsalvageable pieces as my heart breaks- I am fully aware I'm being manipulated, but I'm only  _just_  keeping from spilling out agreements, to the dress shopping, to attending the dance, to  _anything_  that will remove that look of heartbreak from Alice's face.

And then Edward kisses me.

Neither of us are in to public displays of affection- I don't think we've ever kissed, as in properly kissed, with witnesses before. He pulled my mouth to his, marble lips meeting soft flesh. My entire body went boneless in surprise, and I half slumped against him. His fingers buried themselves in my hair, pulling me closer to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck, unable to stop kissing him. Time paused for me- in that moment it was like the sun had stopped shining, the earth had stopped its movement on its axis... he pulled back, just enough for me to look into his eyes, eyes that had been gold moments before, but now were almost black. "Come to the prom." He murmured, and the resolve that had just barely held up against Alice's lethal puppy dog eyes? Well, it was dust.

"Fine," I said, breathlessly, "I'll go to the stupid prom." Edward smiles, triumphantly, and I hold a hand up. "But," I tell him, "I'm not going with you." Surprise and a flicker of jealously cross his handsome, chiseled face, but it disappears into good humor as he turns to face a smug looking Alice, whatever he's reading in her mind amusing him.

"I've already asked Luna to be my partner to the dance. We're going as friends." Alice says, and I groan aloud, fully aware that I'm out of excuses. Edward turns back to face me, and gives me the crooked smile that makes me want to drool.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you do me the honor of being my date for the prom?" He asks. I sigh grumpily.

"Fine."

"You'd think he was asking you to shave your head, or something equally ridiculous." Alice shakes her head, looking defeated. "You're lucky I adore the tricky ones- lost causes are my specialty."

"I dislike you very much right now." I inform her. She smiles sweetly at me, her dark eyes fierce. 

"You will enjoy this dance." She says, and it sounds far more like a threat, then a promise. 

-

After school, Edward drives us to his house. When we walk in, Luna is already there, sitting in the living room with the stunning goddess that is Rosalie. The exquisite vampire is braiding  _bellis perennis_  in Luna's hair, her long fingers, like delicate birds, easily weaving the fresh white daisies into the long, pale strands.  

"Bella," Luna smiles happily, "this dance is very exciting, isn't it?" Any reserves I had about going to the stupid prom promptly melted away at the obvious excitement in those silvery eyes. "Do you think it will be more like the Yule Ball, or the Slug Club?" she asks. We were both third years when the Yule Ball was held, so most of what we knew about it came from Ginny, who was one of the lucky third years to be able to attend, having been asked by someone from an older year level. 

The Slug Club party, on the other hand, we'd both attended as a plus one- Luna for Harry, and myself for a bookish Ravenclaw whose father held a high position in the Ministry of Magic, and was shyer then a mooncalf. His mother was a muggleborn who had passed on her love of muggle literature to her son, and the two of us had bonded over muggle authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, George Orwell and Mark Twain. 

"I think it'll be more like the Yule Ball," I tell her, considering it for a moment. "I hope so anyway." I add. Luna giggles softly.

"Professor Slughorn's party was very interesting, at least." 

"It was the first time I saw a real life vampire." I note.

"Oh?" Edward asks, having listened quietly to Luna and I talk up to this point.

"He was very... intense. And creepy- kept watching all the girls with those red eyes." I grimace. 

"Your teacher brought a human drinking vampire into your school." Rosalie speaks up, her voice disgusted.

"Slughorn is an idiot." 

"And the most dangerous sort of idiot, at that." Luna adds. "One who is aware of the risks he takes, but takes them anyway, knowing it will never be he himself who pays the price for his actions." 

Rosalie's perfect pouty lips twist into a grimace, her flashing jewel-gold eyes promising retribution if she ever ends up face-to-face with old Sluggy. 

Rosalie's reaction to Luna was positive from the very beginning. Although she has never been my biggest fan, albeit much nicer since the whole Italy debacle, she instantly adored my best friend. Luna is fragile and innocent and childlike and seemed to pull at Rosalie's heartstrings from the moment the lovely vampire first laid eyes on Luna's bruised but not broken self.    

As it was, Rosalie's affection for Luna had tempered her opinion towards me even further- although I wouldn't call us  _friends_ , per se, none of her animosity seemed to have lingered. 

Luna spent her days when I was at school at the Cullens, usually with Emmett, Rosalie and Esme. She didn't like being alone, and they adored her company, so it was a perfect solution.

"We're going to go dress shopping this weekend for the dance," Alice says, excitedly.

"Carlisle will have to give Luna a clear check of health." Rosalie reminds the enthusiastic pixie. 

"He will." Alice says, with an authority that states how entirely certain she is, though whether from her glimpses of the future, or just sheer determination, only she knew. Rosalie just rolls her eyes. 

After several hours of study, in which Edward drills me mercilessly on the material, he drives Luna and I home, then disappears briefly to drive the car back before returning for the night.

I lead the way to the kitchen, Luna following me, with the plan to heat up some left-overs for dinner, too exhausted from the intense revision session to cook something up. It's then I notice the flashing light on the phone's answering machine. I hit it, and a familiar voice fills the kitchen.

"Bella, it's me Jake. I heard about what happened and... Bella, my dad is an idiot who really put his foot in his mouth. I don't care that you shot those Death Eaters- they were animals, rabid animals, and putting them down saved peoples lives, I know they did. I've never judged you for what you did, and Billy doesn't either- I know he doesn't." there's a brief pause, and a sigh. "I want to see you, Bella. Face-to-face. Call me." 

The end of the message tone plays, and I stare at the answering machine for several long moments. "Holy mother of Merlin," I finally manage to say, "the intervention worked! Well... sort of- Jake's talking to me again!" I'm tempted to start dancing around the kitchen, but even hearing from Jacob hasn't given me enough energy to do that. 

Luna takes charge of heating up dinner- casserole- while I ring Jacob. He picks up after only three rings. "Bella?" he asks, eagerly.

"Jacob!" I'm beaming, I know I am, but I can't help it- him not talking to me hurt the same way it would if Angela or Katie or Alice stopped talking to me; somehow, someway, he and they had become important parts of my life.

It seems like we both have so much to say, and the words just keep spilling out. We avoid dangerous topics like Italy and Cullens, instead focusing on how much exams suck, and how Luna's doing. 

When we hang up, I'm feeling lighter, like a weight I hadn't realized was hanging from me had lifted. My good mood lasted all the way until Edward slipped through my window. The serious lines on his face told me that Alice had Seen some of what had happened, maybe me getting the message, maybe my chatting to Luna about what I'd talked to Jacob about, and he wasn't happy.

"I don't want you going to La Push." He says, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"I respect that," I tell him, because I do respect it. "But I also respectfully say no. I'm going to go visit Jake- he's my friend, Edward." 

"Then I'll have to stop you." Edward looks grim and determined. I feel a sort of sadness wash over me, and I look up at him with tired eyes.

"Edward," I say, feeling the heaviness return. "Do you really think you can stop me?" 

The unhappy twist of his mouth tells me that no, he doesn't think so, not with my magic at my side, but this victory doesn't give me any sort of pleasure. I fall asleep uneasy that night, and the nightmares come quickly.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE:**   
  
  


**_Volterra, Italy: the Volturi_ **

_"The Seattle situation is... getting out of control."_

_"I am aware of that."_

_"Then you are aware we will need to make our move soon."_

_"I am, but first... a very interesting someone has made contact with me."_

_"Oh?"_

_"An old acquaintance- you remember Acacius? I believe he goes by Sanguini these days. He had quite a few fascinating things to say about the Magical World."_

_"Good news, I hope."_

_"Very good news, my old friend... yes, very good news indeed."_

-

-

The sleepover was one night away, and Alice's excitement over the whole deal had tripled since the whole  _prom_  thing had been included. With each hour that passed, she seemed to almost bounce in her seat. 

"There's still a whole day and night to go, plus this afternoon," I tell her, exasperated by her energy.

"Carlisle will be doing Luna's check-up after school," she says, and I nod, remembering Carlisle's offer. 

"And?" I prod, slightly puzzled by this non-sequitur. 

"And, we can plan what we're going to do tomorrow tonight!" She says, enthusiastically.

"Won't it be more fun just, you know, winging it?" I suggest and she just glares at me. I roll my eyes, raising my hands in surrender. "Fine, I guess we could figure out some stuff to do."

Seemingly appalled by my blatant lack of enthusiasm, Alice pounces on the weaker targets, fixing her sights on Angela and Katie with a terrifying sort of intensity. 

"Sweet Morgana," I sigh, watching as she enthusiastically engages them both. "The world is doomed."

"It's just one night," Edward says, amused. 

"Now," I say darkly, "it's one night now. Just wait Edward- a monster has been unleashed, and all we can do now is watch." 

"You know I can hear you, right?" Alice says, annoyed. 

"Tell me I'm wrong," I challenge her. She gives me her most angelic smile, batting big innocent doe eyes at me, and I almost expect a halo to appear. 

"I'm sure I don't know what on earth you're talking about." She says, voice all sweet like honey and sugar. 

"Okay," Edward says, as she turns back to continue the excited planning with our other two friends. "Maybe there's a touch of concern warranted in this situation." He admits. 

"Yeah. Just a  _touch_." I drawl, giving my vampire a truly inspired look of sarcasm mixed with a good helping of 'you're an idiot' and a touch of humour, before tuning in to the conversation happening before me. 

"You do remember we need to write my announcements," Angela says, and Alice waves a hand in complete disregard. 

"Oh we'll give them to Edward and Jaz to do- we've got much more important things to spend our night doing."

Angela looks almost like she wants to protest out of good manners, but thinks the better of it. "At least they'll get done." She sighs. 

-

When Edward, Alice and I arrive back at my house, Carlisle is gently guiding Luna through a series of movements, while Charlie observes, munching on a pear as he does so. It was quite obvious if you cared to look that Charlie was disappointed he couldn't ask Qiang to come again to look Luna over- he had quite the crush on Angela's aunt, which was beyond amusing to witness. 

"I believe you're well enough that you can finally acquiesce to Alice's shopping pleas," Carlisle announces finally and Alice, who's perched on the arm of one of our couches, squeals in delight. 

"We can go shopping tomorrow!" She gushes, and Charlie frowns. 

"I don't want you girls going to Seattle," he says, and I turn to him, surprised. 

"It's not that far away, dad-" I start to say, unsure about the reason for his reluctance, and he shakes his head. 

"It's not that, Bells- there's someone killing folks up there. I think there's twenty bodies found so far, and that's on top of all the disappearances." He explains. I pale slightly at the idea of a murderer, or a series of murderers, so close to home.

"Dad, Luna, Katie and I are witches," I remind him, though, "and Alice is a vampire. Plus Rosalie might be coming too. We can handle a murderer." Charlie still looks unsure, and I notice for the first time that Edward, Alice and Carlisle are being suspiciously silent. 

Luna decides now is a good time to pipe up. "I suppose we could," she says thoughtfully, "though I've never fought a vampire before."

"Huh?" I ask, confused. I glance back at Edward and his carefully blank expression tells me all I need to know. "Oh Merlin, it's a vampire doing all the killing?" I blanch. This is... well, I'm pretty sure that I'll be steering relatively clear from Seattle. 

"What?" Charlie asks, sharply. He's looking straight at Carlisle, eyes hard. "You know for a fact it's a vampire doing this?" 

"Yes, we believe so. My family has been keeping a close eye on the situation." Carlisle says, carefully, and Charlie frowns. 

"But you ain't doing anything about it." He says, pointedly. 

"Er, well, that's not our job," Carlisle says, awkwardly, and Charlie's frown deepens. 

"I'd say it's the job of any decent folks," he says, "the Seattle police are chasing a monster they can't catch, you can. All these lives lost..." He trails off, but his meaning, his accusation, is clear. 

"It's just, we're not the Volturi," Carlisle says, sort of weakly. "We... my family has never involved ourselves in this sort of thing."

"Maybe you should reconsider that policy." Charlie says pointedly, before picking up the remote and turning on a game, obviously ending the conversation. I awkwardly move to my bedroom, Edward, Alice and Luna following me. 

Alice, Luna and I sit up on the heavy comforter, Alice perched upright while Luna and I lean against the headboard. Edward stands, not needing to pretend a need to sit, to act human. Everyone in this house knows exactly what he is. Which in some ways makes my life easier, but in others... well, Carlisle's earlier mention of the Volturi has my stomach rolling uneasily, making me nauseous. 

I'm reasonably confident that the prideful leaders of the coven aren't taking my blatant disrespect of them lying down. I'm not sure what they actually  _can_  do, but I don't like the idea of always watching my back. After all, to ancient beings who have lived for thousands of years, a short human lifespan is the blink of an eye. They can be patient, planning their revenge.

I really don't need another group with delusions of grandeur that aren't exactly all delusions because they happen to actually be kind of powerful after me. 

"So it's a vampire up in Seattle. You weren't going to mention that at all?" I ask, in a shorter tone then I intended. 

"It wasn't worth worrying you about." Edward said, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I think I can decide that, Edward." I said, tightly. We hold eye contact for a long, tense moment, before he sighs. 

"We've been monitoring the situation for a few weeks. All the signs are there- the unlikely disappearances, always in the night, the poorly disposed-of corpses, the lack of other evidence... everything indicates a newborn vampire is loose in Seattle. Bloodthirsty, wild, out of control. Someone brand new, and no one seems to be taking responsibility for the neophyte." He takes a deep, unnecessary breath. "The existence off monsters results in monstrous consequences, Bella. You'd be surprised how often my kind are the source behind the horrors in human news. Normally we wouldn't even pay attention to this situation if it wasn't going on so close to home."

I sigh, burying my head in my hands. As much as I agree with Charlie, in that I want to get off my arse and do  _something_ , the Cullens are right- it wasn't their problem,  _our_  problem. That sounded cold, but it was the truth. We could try and hunt the newborn down, but Seattle was a large city, with a population of nearly six hundred thousand people. Finding one vampire in that mess? Improbable, even with Alice's visions and Edward's gift helping us. We would leave it to the proper 'authorities' for this sort of thing- the Volturi. Although...

"Why have the Volturi left it so long to act?" I ask, and Alice makes a frustrated noise.

"I have no idea. I haven't even been getting  _flashes_." She says, in aggravation. "As far as I know, they aren't planning on doing anything yet." 

"Arseholes." I mutter. Edward gives a low sort of chuckle. 

"So," Alice chirps, expression changing from irritated to bright in the blink of an eye, "I know you said we should stick with the continental U.S. this weekend, but you got us to Italy in less then an  _hour_ \- why not use this amazing gift and go somewhere truly special to buy our prom dresses?" She says, obviously having no compunctions about very obviously changing the topic.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, warily.

"I was thinking fashion capitals of the world!" Alice's eyes are shining, "New York City, Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Rome, São Paulo, Milan, Los Angeles, Berlin-"

"Are you  _insane_?" I gape. She pouts at me. 

"Come  _on_ , Bella! You can visit any place in the world within minutes, using Portkeys! We can buy them from that place you bought the one to take us to Florence. It'll be amazing," she wheedles. "Just imagine it- us five girls, a foreign city, it'll be  _magical_!" 

"It would cost a fortune, Alice," I point out, before cringing, "Merlin, I can't believe I actually just entertained the thought that your idea of travelling to some other country to shop for prom dresses as a feasible plan for a moment!" 

"It could be fun." 

I turn to the speaker, not sure whether I should be feeling betrayed or not. 

"Luna?"

"Daddy and I went to Switzerland to hunt snorkacks, and Egypt to look for the desert spirits, but I've never actually visited another country to shop," she said, thoughtfully, "it sounds rather exciting, don't you think?"

I moan, letting myself flop backwards on the bed, hands over my eyes. "I'm outnumbered, aren't I?"

"Hopelessly so," Alice informs me, "Angela and Katie both think it's a great idea. Well, they will when I ring up and tell them." 

"Fine." I sigh, "I guess our girl's night has just turned into a freaking weekend in another freaking country." 

"Angela thinks we should go to Paris and Katie votes Milan," Alice says, her eyes going blank for a moment as she peeks into the future.

"Nothing close to Britain," I tell her, firmly. "And I'd like to at least stay in America- what about New York?" 

"Don't be so boring," huffs Alice. "We can avoid being too close to Britain without actually having to stay in the U.S. Let's go to Milan." 

"Are you sure being in Italy is a good idea?" I ask, warily. 

"It will only be for a night or two," Alice said, "and I'll watch them closely."

"Well... what about money?" 

"Bella, darling, I can see the future." Alice says, patiently, like I'm an idiot, "I watch the stock market and earn millions- each year." 

"I'm outnumbered, aren't I?"

"Hopelessly so." She assures me. 

"Then I guess we're going to Milan."

-

I'd planned on catching up with Jacob on Sunday, but I texted him I couldn't, expecting nothing of it. I'd already packed (well, Alice had already packed for me), the Portkey had been ordered and we would leave straight after school. I'd driven my trusty truck up to school, and had just stepped out when a familiar roar of a motorbike engine shocked my ears, and Jacob peeled into the parking lot like some sort of hooligan.

I was actually impressed by how quickly Edward managed to materialize at my side while having to constrain himself to human speed. 

Jacob seemed unperturbed, though he purposefully did not look at Edward, instead keeping his full focus on me. "Hey Bells,"

"Er, hi?" I say, confused. 

"What are you doing here?" Edward's eyes looked like black fire as he glared at one of my best friends. Jacob continued ignoring him. 

"Want to skip?" he asked loudly, patting the seat behind him. 

I took exactly five seconds to think about it. On one hand- I would be missing biology, which was still my absolute worst subject, and finals were coming up way too soon, but on the other hand-  _I would be missing biology_. 

Edward wasn't going to like this, I thought guiltily as I turned and kissed him. He seemed surprised by my sudden vigour as I pushed my tongue in his mouth, a move more raunchy then I usually used. Pulling away just as swiftly, I gave him a guilty smile.

"I'll be back by lunch, don't worry- and tell Alice not to panic." I tell him, swinging myself onto the back of the motorcycle. Edward's whole body was frozen, and the look in his eyes was particularly... wild. 

"Bella," his voice sounded agonized, and my stomach rolled in on itself. 

"I'm sorry," I repeat, "I'll be fine," I add, "I  _promise_." Jacob, apparently having had enough of our exchange, and also (probably appropriately) worried that Edward might just put a hole in one of the tires or something to stop us from leaving, and gunned the engine, roaring out of the parking lot. 

I held tightly to his jacket as the wind blew in my face. It took about ten minutes for us to cross the treaty line, and no one stopped us (despite the fact we broke several traffic laws). 

"So, what's this about?" I ask, breathless from the journey on the motorbike. Jacob helps me slide off the bike- we're at the beach; ironically the one I first met him at, back before  _everything_. 

We sit down together, Jacob leaning against my arm slightly. There are no sounds here besides the hollow roar of the waves that echo from every side of the sheltered harbor, the soft grinding of the stones against each other under the water's movement, and the cry of gulls overhead. It was very peaceful. 

"I figured I'd help spring you." Jake says, cheerfully, smiling at me with those warm, dark eyes. 

"Spring me?" I ask, confused.

"I got your message- figured that  _he_ ," the way he spat out the word 'he' left me with little confusion as to who it was exactly he was referring to, "was stopping you from contacting me." I blink.

"Er, not really. I mean, he  _did_  say he didn't want me to visit, but let's face it- I could apparate over here whenever I wanted, and there'd be nothing he could do about it." 

"Oh." Jacob looks confused. "So why did you say we couldn't meet up on Sunday like we planned?" 

"Because I'll be in Milan."

"Say what now?" he blinks.

"Milan, Jake- I'll be in Milan." I repeat, amused. "I'm going there with the girls- we're dress shopping." 

"Dress shopping?" his expression pulls into one of great distaste. 

"I know," I agree with him, pulling a disgusted face of my own. "It's going to be  _terrible_. Alice will be unstoppable." 

"Milan? Italy, Milan?" Jacob repeats, more to himself then me. "Wow." 

"I wouldn't have agreed if Luna hadn't wanted to do it," I tell him, moodily. 

"Well, that's a pretty good excuse for bailing on me." He decides, shaking his head in disbelief. " _Milan_." 

"Hardy-ha ha." I grumble. "So, what's the plan?"

"Plan?"

"Well, I assume you had some sort of idea what we were going to do after you kidnapped me," I tell him, amused. He looks sheepish.

"I didn't really think that far ahead. Just figured that the school would be the best place to grab you-  _he_  can't stop me in front of so many witnesses."

"He is going to be mad." I mutter.

"Who cares," scoffs Jacob.

"I care," I tell him, firmly, "but let's not talk about that now, Jake. What do you want to do?" 

"Well, we could always ride our bikes. Just like old times." He flashes me a smile. I can't help but smile back. The sun breaks through the clouds suddenly, a surprise I hadn't been expecting, and I had to narrow my eyes against the glare off the water. Everything changed colour- the waves turned from gray to blue, the trees from dull olive to brilliant jade, and the rainbow-hued pebbles glittered like jewels.

"Well if that's not a sign we should race around like hooligans on motorbikes, then I don't know what is." I tell him. Jacob laughs and smiles at me, the warm, familiar smile I'd missed so much. 

"I've really missed you Jake," I tell him, impulsively. 

"Yeah. Me too." His eyes are happy, free from bitterness.

-

I sneak back in to school, knowing that my stealth was pretty much useless, but still nervous about Edward's reaction. I figured if the first place he saw me was in class, then he was likely to calm down, seeing that I was in one piece and all.

Of course, that all when to shit when I snuck into the girl's bathroom, only to see him standing there, against the wall across from me, his face hard and his posture tense.

Of  _course_  he was there.

He glared at me wordlessly, and I cringed, waiting for the torrent, but it didn't come. He just continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak. 

"Hi," I finally said. His face could have been carved from stone. I counted to a hundred in my head, but there was no change. "Er... so, I'm still alive," I began. A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn't change.

"And you're in a girl's bathroom." Still silence. 

"No harm done," I insist with a shrug. Edward finally moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.

"Bella," he whispered. "Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line today? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? Do you know what that would have meant?"

I gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night. "You can't!" I growled at him. I worked to modulate the volume of my voice so that any of my passing classmates wouldn't hear, but I wanted to shout the words. "Edward, they'd use any excuse for a fight. They'd love that. You can't ever break the rules!"

"Maybe they aren't the only ones who would enjoy a fight."

"Don't you start," I snapped. "You made the treaty - you stick to it."

"If he'd hurt you -"

"Enough!" I cut him off. "There's nothing to worry about. Jacob isn't dangerous."

"Bella." He rolled his eyes. "You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous."

"I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you." He ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, and I hated the space between us.

I took a deep breath, and crossed the room. He didn't move when I wrapped my arms around him. Next to the warmth of the last of the afternoon sun streaming through the window, his skin felt especially icy. He seemed like ice, too, frozen the way he was.

"I'm sorry I made you anxious," I muttered. He sighed, and relaxed a little. His arms wound around my waist.

"Anxious is a bit of an understatement," he murmured. "It was a very long morning."

"I really am sorry, but Jacob is my friend, Edward. I want you to know something - when it comes to all this enemies nonsense, I'm out. I am a neutral country. I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures when I've got enough going on with the whole dispute in the Wizarding World. Jacob is family. You are the love of my life. I don't care who's a shape-shifter and who's a vampire. If Angela turns out to be a selkie, and Katie a kitsune and Luna a bloody crumple-horned snorkack, they can join the party, too."

He stared at me silently through narrowed eyes.

"Switzerland," I repeated again for emphasis. He frowned at me, and then sighed. "Bella...," he began, but he paused, and his nose wrinkled in disgust.

"What now?"

"Well . . . don't be offended, but you might want to shower before your shopping trip. You smell like a dog," he told me. And then he smiled crookedly, so I knew the fight was over. For now.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX:**  
  


**_Seattle, Washington: Bree Tanner_ **

_I looked around for Diego and found him sitting at one of the café tables, studying the backs of his new CDs. I paused, then joined him._

_This felt strange because it was familiar in a haunting, uncomfortable way. I had sat like this before- across a table from someone. I'd chatted casually with that person, thinking about things that were not life and death or thirst and blood. But that had been in a different, blurry lifetime._

_The last time I'd sat at a table with someone, that someone had been Riley. It was hard to remember that night for a lot of reasons._

_"So how come I never notice you around the house?" Diego asked abruptly. "Where do you hide?" I laughed and grimaced at the same time._

_"I usually kick it behind wherever Freaky Fred is hanging out." His nose wrinkled._

_"Seriously? How do you stand that?"_

_"You get used to it. It's not so bad behind him as it is in front. Anyway, it's the best hiding place I've found. Nobody gets close to Fred." Diego nodded, still looking kind of grossed out._

_"That's true. It's a way to stay alive." I shrugged. "Did you know that Fred is one of Riley's favorites?" Diego asked._

_"Really? How?" No one could stand Freaky Fred. I was the only one who tried, and that was solely out of self-preservation. Diego leaned toward me conspiratorially. I was already so used to his strange way that I didn't even flinch._

_"I heard him on the phone with her." I shuddered. "I know," he said, sounding sympathetic again. Of course, it wasn't weird that we could sympathize with each other when it came to her. "This was a few months back. Anyway, Riley was talking about Fred, all excited. From what they were saying, I guess that some vampires can do things. More than what normal vampires can do, I mean. And that's good- something she's looking for. Vampires with skilzzz." He pulled the Z sound out, so I could hear how he was spelling it in his head._

_"What kinds of skills?"_

_"All kinds of stuff, it sounds like. Mind reading and tracking and even seeing the future."_

_"Get out."_

_"I'm not kidding. I guess Fred can sort of repel people on purpose. It's all in our heads, though. He makes us repulsed at the thought of being near him."_

_I frowned. "How is that a good thing?"_

_"Keeps him alive, doesn't it? Guess it keeps you alive, too." I nodded._

_"Guess so. Did he say anything about anyone else?" I tried to think of anything strange I'd seen or felt, but Fred was one of a kind._

_"He talked about Raoul," Diego said, the corner of his mouth twisting down._

_"What skill does Raoul have? Super-stupidity?" Diego snorted._

_"Definitely that. But Riley thinks he's got some kind of magnetism- people are drawn to him, they follow him."_

_"Only the mentally challenged."_

_"Yeah, Riley mentioned that. Didn't seem to be effective on the" - he broke out a decent impression of Riley's voice - "'tamer kids.'"_

_"Tame?"_

_"I inferred that he meant people like us, who are able to think occasionally."_

_I didn't like being called tame. It didn't sound like a good thing when you put it that way. Diego's way sounded better. "It was like there was a reason Riley needed Raoul to lead- something's coming, I think." A weird tingle spasmed along my spine when he said that, and I sat up straighter._

_"Like what?"_

_"Do you ever think about why Riley is always after us to keep a low profile?"_

_I hesitated for half a second before answering. This wasn't the line of inquiry I would have expected from Riley's right-hand man. Almost like he was questioning what Riley had told us. Unless Diego was asking this for Riley, like a spy. Finding out what the 'kids' thought of him. But it didn't feel like that. Diego's dark red eyes were open and confiding. And why would Riley care? Maybe the way the others talked about Diego wasn't based on anything real. Just gossip. I answered him truthfully. "Yeah, actually I was just thinking about that."_

_"We aren't the only vampires in the world," Diego said solemnly._

_"I know. Riley says stuff sometimes. But there can't be too many. I mean, wouldn't we have noticed, before?" Diego nodded._

_"That's what I think, too. Which is why it's pretty weird that she keeps making more of us, don't you think?"_

_I frowned. "Huh. Because it's not like Riley actually likes us or anything...." I paused again, waiting to see if he would contradict me. He didn't. He just waited, nodding slightly in agreement, so I continued. "And she hasn't even introduced herself. You're right. I hadn't looked at it that way. Well, I hadn't really thought about it at al . But then, what do they want us for?"_

_Diego raised one eyebrow._

_"Wanna hear what I think?" I nodded warily. But my anxiety had nothing to do with him now._

_"Like I said, something is coming. I think she wants protection, and she put Riley in charge of creating the front line."_

-

-

Rosalie picked us up from the school parking lot in her bright red convertible, successfully drawing the eyes of every person within the vicinity. "Have an amazing time," Edward wrapped his arms around me, resting his forehead against mine. I held him, tight, my insides twisting at the thought of not seeing him for an entire weekend. Ever since our long separation, we'd been clingy, and this would be the longest we'd been apart since Italy. 

I exhale shakily as he cups my chin, tilting my head up so he can kiss me, softly and sweetly, over and over again. He pulls back after a moment, still holding me in place, but I'm not ready for the moment to end. Instinctively, my hand moves to his head, fingers running through his bronze hair, as I tug him right back to me. He chuckles, not fighting it, and kisses me deeper. Soft and sweet turns firm and frenzied, the once feather light kisses now pressing urgently against my lips in a way that told me Edward too was anxious about our upcoming separation.

Rosalie beeped the horn, impatiently, and Edward and I broke apart. "I'll ring you." I vowed. "All the time. So much you'll get sick of my voice." He smiled the crooked smile I loved.

"Not likely." I scoffed playfully. 

"You say that now." Edward chuckled softly.

"Be safe, my love." He murmured, butterscotch eyes burning with a sort of intensity as he looked down at me, like I was the most precious thing he'd ever seen, the most important person in his life. The pure conviction made me shiver. 

"I promise." I told him, my voice unintentionally breathless. 

Alice, sick of waiting for us to part, grabbed my wrist with her small, cold hand, bony fingers curling tight, and pulled me over to the car, where Angela and Katie had already buckled up in the back seat. 

Luna was already seated in the passenger seat, up the front next to Rosalie who was driving, and with Katie and Angela taking up two thirds of the back seat, Alice sat between my legs, in a somewhat awkward position that didn't bother the pixie vampire even slightly. 

"Finally," muttered Rosalie, under her breath, as she pulls out of the school parking lot. Before Italy, I would have cringed at her words, but I knew her better now- and she knew me better now. Rosalie was fond of the use of sarcasm and had a drier wit then most, and I wasn't offended (or scared off) by her words anymore.

Rosalie drove us to the Webers, where Mei-Xing waited with our Portkey, bought and delivered via the Webers' owl, Atlas. Our luggage was shrunk so it could fit in our pockets, and before I knew it, we were all touching a finger to the port key.

Portkey travel is... well, horrible. Portkey travel crossing countries is even worse. I've had more experience then Katie and Angela, so I manage not to throw up when we arrive, just sway a bit, green-faced. Alice and Rosalie literally cannot throw up, so while both are grimacing, they look as perfect and put together as ever. Luna, unsurprisingly, looked unaffected- I had yet to really witness something sway my best friend. Poor Katie and Angela, on the other hand, spent a minute or two retching, before their systems settle.  

The Portkey had taken us to the  _Duomo di Milano_ , the Milan Cathedral. The  _Duomo_  occupied the most central site of Milan's layout, with streets either radiating from it, or circling it. We were in an underground chamber, one charmed to be invisible to muggles- much like Kings Cross Station Platform 9 and ¾'s, you had to walk through a seemingly solid wall, already cordoned off by a silk rope, to enter it. 

The chamber of the  _Duomo_  was almost like a mixture of a travel agency and a hotel reception. Several elegant desks were set up, and the room was occupied by a small staff, including a team of hit-wizards as guards.  

A witch strode over and greeted us all with a bland smile. She was pretty, in her late twenties, and wearing a tight, pinstriped dress. A matching half-cape hung askance her slim frame, leaving one shoulder bare. The skirt she wore stopped just before her knees, directing attention to her red heels. A red scarf was tied around her neck, and her long nails were also red. 

Alice looked very approving of the fashion, while I felt a bit... disconcerted by it, to be completely honest. I was used to British wizarding fashion; full–length skirts, long capes, dresses of pressed velvet, robes with hems that brushed against the ground... this was modern and tasteful and everything that a witch walking down Diagon Alley would never wear. 

" _Benvenuti a Milano_ ," the witch said, in a heavily accented voice, not even batting an eye at the presence of two vampires in our group. "Welcome to Milan. We hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Your current location is the  _Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente,_ the  _Duomo di Milano_ , the fifth largest church in the world, second largest in Italy. I will guide you to the  _Piazza del Duomo_ , the Cathedral Square, the main  _piazza_  of Milan." 

" _Grazie_ ," Alice smiled, " _siamo molto grati_." The bland smile the witch was wearing softened into something more real.

" _Siete i benvenuti_." She said, warmly. "Follow me."

"What did she say?" I whispered to Angela, who shrugged.

"I speak Mandarin and Cantonese, not Italian."

"She said thank you." Luna informed us. 

"Luna's right." Chirped up Alice.

The fact Luna spoke Italian didn't surprise me. I was too used to my best friend's 'mad skills'- or at least her unpredictability. Can speak Italian? Of course! Why wouldn't she have this skill that I'd never heard of before?

Luna beamed at me, her silver eyes shining like she knew just exactly what I was thinking, and was taking it as the compliment it was. 

The welcome-witch lead the way through the cathedral, and out into the open air. It was twilight, and although I wasn't tired yet, I was hungry. As if on cue, my stomach made an angry growling noise, causing my cheeks to flush pink. 

"Sorry." I said, sheepishly. 

"I'm hungry too," Katie said, "should we find somewhere to eat?"

"I made us reservations yesterday at  _Trussardi alla Scala_." Alice informed us. 

"I'll get us a car." Rosalie pulled her slim, silver smartphone from her pocket, tapping the buttons impossibly fast. I wasn't even that surprised when a limousine pulled up. 

" _Dove sto prendendo, signora_?" the chauffer asked, and Alice piped up, giving him the directions.

The restaurant was somewhere I'd never go, if I had the option. It was ridiculously fancy, and equally as ridiculously overpriced, and Alice wasn't even eating there! Though, with the truly impressive level of customer service at the Michelin star restaurant, if the pixie vampire had asked for them to bring her a deer- still alive and kicking- they just might have. I didn't voice this thought out loud in case Alice actually decided to try it.

After the truly amazing dinner, the driver took us to the hotel Alice had booked- the Carlton Hotel Baglioni, a 5 star hotel, of course- why would it be anything else? On Alice's instructions, we un-shrank our luggage, carrying it into the hotel, where attendants swooped over and relieved us of them. 

"Signora Rosalie! Signora Alice!" a brunette woman wearing a black dress that hugged her curvy figure, her long hair in a tight bun and oxford heels greeted Alice and Rosalie in her richly accented voice. "Such a pleasure to see you both again!" 

"Enrichetta, it's wonderful to see you too." Alice greeted her, happily. 

"Your usual rooms, I presume?" the receptionist- Enrichetta- asked.

"Yes, they're booked under Cullen." Alice beamed. 

"Claudio!" Enrichetta called out, and a slim young man in a pressed black suit walked briskly across to the group. "Lead Signora Hale, Signora Cullen and their guests to suite  _tre novanta tre_." She ordered.

"Si, capo." The hotel attendant- Claudio- nodded, before turning to us and smiling. "Please follow me, madams." 

Katie giggled a bit breathlessly as Claudio lead the way to an elevator, the attendants carrying our luggage following us. "This is unreal." She said, a bit breathlessly. Alice preened. 

"I know," She said, smugly. "The location's perfect too, of course- right in the heart of the city. The view from our rooms directly overlook  _Via Montenapoleone_."

"I'd probably be more impressed if I knew what that was," I admit. Alice rolls her eyes at me.

"It's only the most celebrated shopping street in the entire city." She huffed. " _Honestly_."

The rooms were amazing; a mix of modern, yet traditional, with the chandeliers, rich red curtains, pillars and bedspreads. Private terraces looked over the city, and we were practically waited on hand and foot. I felt dizzy- this was so different from anything I'd ever experienced. 

I rang Edward before going to bed, telling him about what we'd done, before ringing Charlie to assure him we were safe and had checked into our hotel.

I slept like a baby in the most comfortable mattress that ever existed, Luna snuggled next to me in the huge emperor king bed. 

Breakfast was, of course, served to us in our room, before we headed out into the heart of the city.

Our first stop was the  _Galleria Vittorio Emanuele_ , one of the world's most glamorous and oldest shopping malls. With its glass-and-iron dome, magnificent mosaics and marble floorways, it was one of the fanciest places I'd ever been in, and was filled with brands such as Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace... I had to fight tooth and claw (almost literally) to hold Alice back as she tried to don us in dresses worth thousands of dollars. 

After seven grueling hours, I was exhausted, but we all had our dresses, and we decided to explore the city. Alice and Rosalie, being somewhat frequent fliers to Milan, took us on tours to the best spots. We visited the  _Corso Como_ , a whimsical fashion and design emporium that's appearance was more magical then actual magical places I'd been in, with swirling, organic furnishings and monochrome abstract patterns. I spent nearly an hour in the bookshop while the others explored the gallery. 

Lunch was at the Mint Garden Café, where we ate mini pizzas, dried fruit and bruschetta amid cactii, orchids and bunches of cut flowers.

Following lunch was the church of  _Santa Maria delle Grazie_ , which Alice assured us the tickets were as hard to get as the front row seats of a Prada fashion show. Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' was undoubtedly Milan's best-known attraction, which even I knew, and Alice had shelled out a small fortune for our fifteen minutes in the hallowed refectory to examine the expressions of consternation, hostility and despair on the faces of the disciples, just as Jesus reveals his imminent betrayal.

Dinner was on a vintage tram with varnished wooden seats and fluted glass lampshades that took us on a tour of some of Milan's most symbolic monuments, while serving us food and wine. After that, was the  _Teatro alla Scala_ , the world's most famous opera house for a ballet performance in the opulent theatre, with its acres of red velvet and gilded balconies. 

I barely had the energy to ring Edward before collapsing in bed that night, and didn't wake up until nearly eleven the following day.

We packed our belongings, including our new purchases, and Katie and I shrank them while Rosalie signed us out of the hotel. We had a late breakfast/early lunch at a restaurant with live magnolias, cyclamens and adult trees growing inside it, before it was tiem to bid farewell to Milan, and make our way back to the  _Duomo di Milano_ , via limousine. 

It was a different welcome witch greeted us, and ushered us to a private room from which our Portkey delivered us back to the Webers. 

Edward was there to greet me, of course, and I gladly half-collapsed into his arms. He showered my forehead with light kisses, and I sighed happily, hugging close to him, pressing my body against his marble chest.

"Missed you." I mumbled into his shirt. 

"I missed you too," he rested his cheek against the top of my head. "Did you enjoy yourself?" 

"Yes. But I'm exhausted." I tell him, the yawn following my announcement punctuating just how tired I was. Edward chuckled. 

"Alice was very enthusiastic, I take it?" 

"I didn't go  _too_  overboard." Alice defended herself, and I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she couldn't see it, what with my face pressed against Edward's chest. 

"I feel like sleeping for a week."

"I hope not. You have school tomorrow, Prom is in a week, and then you've got finals." He teased, and I groaned.

"I hate you." He laughs, far too amused, the bastard.

"Don't worry, I'll help you study." He teases. 

"I'm going to flunk Biology." I say, glumly.

"With my tutoring? Not a chance." Edward asserts, confidently.

"Cocky bastard." I sigh. "Let's go home."

 


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**   
  


"Dad!" I greeted Charlie happily when he opened the door. He laughed at my tired enthusiasm, pulling me into a quick hug.

"How are you, kiddo?" he asked. I pull a face.

"I think Alice spent more money then most households earn in a year." I inform him, and he shakes his head, chuckling. 

"I missed you, Bella. The food really sucks around here when you're gone." 

"I'll get on it," I promise, with a grin. 

"Would you call Jake first? He's been bugging me every five minutes since six o'clock this morning. I promised I'd have you call him before you even unpacked." 

I didn't have to look at Edward to feel that he was too still, too cold beside me. 

"Jacob wants to talk to me?"

"Pretty bad, I'd say. He wouldn't tell me what it was about- just said it was important."

The phone rang then, shrill and demanding.

"That's him again, I'd bet my next paycheck," Charlie muttered.

"I got it." I hurried to the kitchen.

Edward followed after me while Charlie disappeared into the living room.

I grabbed the phone mid-ring, and twisted around so that I was facing the wall. "Hello?"

"You're back," Jacob said, and his familiar husky voice made me grin. 

"And in one piece too," I told him, cheerfully. He, however, was apparently not sharing my good mood. 

"Why didn't you call me?" He demanded.

His angry tone instantly got my back up. "Because I've been in the house for exactly four seconds and your call interrupted Charlie telling me that you'd called, you jerk."

"Oh. Sorry."

"You better be. Now why are you harassing my dad?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Somehow," I said, dryly, "I managed to figured out that part all by myself. Feel free to start talking any time now." There was a short pause.

"Can you pass along a message to your leech?"

I frowned, confused and slightly unsettled, my good mood now really down the drain. "Yes, of course I can. But why?"

"Because Sam wants to pass on a warning, but none of us want to go near them." Jacob offered.

"Warning?" I repeated, feeling nerves prickle along my spine. Edward plucked the phone from my suddenly boneless fingers, pressing it against his ear. 

"Message delivered. Consider us warned." He said, shortly. I snatched the phone back off him, glaring fiercely when he resisted until he reluctantly released the phone. I hit the speaker button.

"Warned? What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"You didn't tell her?" Jacob asked, and I could hear the disbelief over the phone line. "What, were you afraid she'd take our side?"

"Please drop it, Jacob," Edward said in an even voice.

"Why?" Jacob challenged.

I frowned in confusion. "What don't I know? Edward?" Edward just glared at the phone as if he hadn't heard me. "Jake?"

"He didn't tell you that his big... brother crossed the line Saturday night?" Jacob asked, his tone thickly layered with sarcasm. "Paul was totally justified in-"

"It was no-man's land!" Edward hissed.

"Was not!" I could almost picture Jacob right now, hands trembling, visibly fuming, but that wasn't what I was focused on.

"Emmett and Paul?" I repeated. Paul was Jacob's most volatile pack brother. "What happened? Were they fighting?" My voice strained higher in panic. "Why? Did Paul get hurt?"

"No one fought," Edward said quietly, only to me. "No one got hurt. Don't be anxious."

"You didn't tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why your sisters took her away? So she wouldn't know that-?"

"Be quiet." Edward cut him off mid-sentence, and his face was abruptly frightening - truly frightening. For a second, he looked like... like a vampire. He pulled the phone out of my hands, faster then I could process, hitting the red button. I gaped at him.

In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fell into place for me with a burst of intuition.

Something Edward didn't want me to know.

Something that Jacob wouldn't have kept from me.

Something that had the Cullens and the wolves both in the woods, moving in hazardous proximity to each other.

Something that would cause Alice to practically  _insist_  that I fly out of the country.

Something that she had seen in a vision last week- a vision Edward had never actually told me about.

Something I'd been waiting for anyway. Something I knew would happen again, as much as I might wish it never would. 

"Shit. She's back, isn't she?" I ask, suddenly drained. I sit down at the table, heavily, and rest my head in my hands.

Victoria. The vampire who's mate I killed. The vampire who thought that Edward had killed her mate, and decided to punish him by killing me- a mate for a mate. Victoria was never going to give up till I was dead. She would keep repeating the same pattern- feint and run, feint and run- until she found a hole through my defenders.

I wasn't worried about myself. I could handle one vampire. But Victoria could easily take a page out of James's book and use my loved ones against me. Charlie had no defense against her, nor Angela. And as strong and fast as the wolves were, they were still teenagers, or just a year or two past their teens. Victoria had been a vampire for at least three centuries more then the oldest of them, Sam, had been alive. She was a better fighter, and all she'd need to do was catch one wolf on their own...

"Edward, give me the phone." 

He doesn't even try to say no, to refuse, just hands me the device. I hit redial and Jacob picks up on the first dial. I hit the speaker, then put the phone on the table in front of me. 

"Victoria's back. Speak." I order. 

"He didn't tell you?" Jacob sounded genuinely incredulous over the phone. I ground my teeth together. 

"We're going to have a discussion about that, but first tell me what happened this weekend."

"The fucking leech danced along the damn treaty line like she was reading it on a freakin' map," Jacob growled, "we would have had her if the Cullens hadn't gotten in the way."

"To be fair, we might have gotten her too if the pack wasn't in the way." Edward stated. "Emmett and Jasper very nearly had her. Then the grey wolf, Paul, thought Emmett was over the line and he got defensive, and everyone left the chase to protect their companions. Carlisle and Jasper got things calmed down before it got out of hand. But by then, Victoria had slipped away."

"So you're saying," I said, slowly, "that instead of prioritising the vampire who kills humans, Paul decided to attack the  _animal drinking_  vampire who you have a  _treaty_  with, all because of a piece of land that wasn't even anywhere  _near_  any of the humans on the reservation anyway?"

There was a short pause from Jacob's end of the line. "Well when you say it like that..." My friend eventually muttered. 

"I think this means she takes our side." Edward sounded smug and I turned my glare on him. 

"Don't." I say, shortly, before turning my attention back to the phone. "You pass on to Paul from me that he is a  _fucking idiot!_ " I practically growl to Jacob, my voice actually trembling in my rage- they had the opportunity to catch Victoria, to end this before more people got hurt, got killed, and instead managed to screw it all up spectacularly because they were all incapable of thinking like rational adults. "And tell him that he needs to get his fucking head screwed on straight, that stupid son of a bitch," I continue ranting to the phone, "and to stop carrying on like a goddamn  _three year old_  about some shitty treaty line when you're all on the same side and trying to catch a bloody murderer! Who you all let  _escape_  to go kill more  _innocent people_ , all because you're all bloody acting like bloody kindergarteners! Your issues with each other have progressed to the point where they're literally letting innocent people die- and now a part of the responsibility for those deaths is on you, you goddamn bunch of  _fucking idiots_!" 

"Language, Bells!" I hear Charlie holler out from the other room. 

"Trust me, dad, it's warranted!" I shout back, glaring furiously at the phone. My magic is churning inside me, and I can hear the plates in the cupboard rattling. 

Nearly all of my family had been involved in this giant  _clusterfuck_ \- Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and Carlisle. Maybe even Esme, though neither of them had mentioned her. And then Paul and the rest of the Quileute pack. It might so easily have turned into a fight, with any one of them getting hurt. The wolves would have been in the most danger, but picturing sweet Esme next to one of the huge shape-shifters, fighting...

"What about Charlie? Milan was a bad idea." I tell Edward, shortly. Edward shook his head.

"Charlie was never in any danger."

"As much as I hate to say it, the bloodsucker's right." Jacob grumbled over the line, and I could practically see the grimace that must be on his face right now.

"You  _will_  tell me next time." Because there would be a next time. And a time after that and a time after that, until someone slipped up, and this cat and mouse chase would be over.

My statement, my order, wasn't directed at either of them, but Jacob readily agreed.

"Of course." 

Edward sighed, looking resigned. "Yes."

"So why did you actually call in the first place?" I ask Jacob, "just to pass on the warning?"

"Just wanted to hear your voice," Jake said, somewhat evasively, voice suddenly stiffer. "Got to go, Bells. See ya." A beep informed me that he'd hung up.

I frowned at the phone. "What was that about?"

It didn't really make sense that Jacob had been hounding Charlie all day just to ask me if I could pass on a warning. And if he'd wanted to hear my voice, then why did he hang up so quickly?

"Your guess is probably better than mine," Edward said, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Mmm," I murmured. That was true. 

Thinking about what on earth Jacob could have meant, I started combing through the fridge, assembling ingredients for Charlie's dinner while Edward leaned against the counter. 

My brain refused to come up with any brilliant insights and I wondered if I was missing some vital piece of information.

What could have changed in the past three days that was so important that Jacob would bug Charlie incessantly? What difference could three days make?

I froze in the middle of the kitchen. The package of icy hamburger in my hands slipped through my numb fingers. It took me a slow second to miss the thud it should have made against the floor.

Edward had caught it and thrown it onto the counter. His arms were already around me, his lips at my ear.

"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

Three days could change everything.

It was the conversation Edward and I had never had. One I was happy to keep putting off, because I honestly didn't have an answer for him. One that he was happy to keep putting off, because he didn't want it for me.

Had Charlie told Billy that I'd vanished for three days? Had Billy jumped to conclusions? Had Jacob really been asking me if I was... still human? 

Edward shook me. "Bella?" he asked, truly anxious now.

"I think... I think he was checking," I said, in a bland voice, carefully clear of any emotion. "Checking to make sure. That I'm human, I mean."

Edward stiffened, and a low hiss sounded in my ear. I didn't look at him as I moved from his hold, picking up the phone and placing it back on the wall. It let out a low beep as it clicked in place, and I just sort of stood there, staring at it.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was as carefully free from any sort of emotion as mine had been. 

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway, and I turned to Charlie. 

"If you don't want to make dinner, I can call for a pizza," Charlie hinted.

"No, that's okay, I'm already started." I tell him, voice a bit stiff. He raised an eyebrow, eyes sweeping over the counter where ingredients were sitting, none actually in any way prepared. "Yeah, pizza would be good right now." I sigh, pulling my wand out of my pocket. A swish and a muttered phrase in Latin has the ingredients floating back to their places in the pantry and fridge.

Edward follows me up to my room, where Luna is sitting cross-legged on the bed, a book propped open on her lap. Her cheeks are a little more flushed then usual and I tilt my head to read the cover then choke slightly- 'Bared To You'. Luna looks up at the sound I make, her cheeks going a little darker pink, though she smiles just as dreamily as usual, like she isn't reading erotica on my bed. 

"Alice leant me the entire series. It's very interesting. I didn't know it was anatomically possible for a male to insert his penis into a woman's vagina while in the position the author is describing." She says, conversationally. I choke on my own saliva, fairly certain my face has turned bright red. 

"I- teeth. My teeth. I need to brush them." I manage to get out, before hastily backing out of the doorway. 

"Really? You're going to brush your teeth before dinner?" Edward teases over my shoulder, and I shudder.

"I couldn't exactly come up with a good excuse when my best friend starts talking to me about inserting p- bloody hell, I can't even say the word!" I wail, cheeks still a flaming red. 

Edward's chuckling doesn't stop, and I groan, a touch annoyed at the fun been made at me, but the stiff atmosphere from before has gone, so I'm thankful, even if it is at my expense.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**   
  


"Are they going to fade any more?" I ask. I'm in my bedroom, practically naked. Qiang has me standing in only a bra and panties, my arms spread. I'm uncomfortable with her close scrutiny as she walks around me in a tight circle, my entire body bare before her critical eye. 

"Yes, but not much more." She says, finally. I look down at my body and wince slightly. The livid red scars have faded to light pink lines that crisscross my flesh, no longer eye-catching, but hard to look away from once you noticed. I could keep most of them hidden from curious eyes- my face was scar-free, with only a single pink line that started by my ear, trailed along jawline, down the side of my neck, then down over my collarbone. A bit of concealer basically hid it from view. 

My arms were in the worst shape due to shielding my face during the disastrous apparation, scarred from shoulder to wrist, the skin irregular from where it had had to be regrown. As compared to that, the pink lines that sunk into my skin wrapping around my torso, stretched from the base of my skull to halfway down my thighs, crisscrossing my stomach and chest, including my breasts were tamer, more faded. 

It was only in my arms that I felt residual pain, with the skin having been practically flayed off, both elbows dislocated, one shattered, a wrist broken in two places, and a dislocated shoulder. Not pleasant. 

"The skin on your arms won't heal anymore then they already have." Qiang said bluntly. "Unstable, uncontrolled magic leaves its mark, and there's only so much you can do to fade it. There's muggle surgery you can get to reduce the scarring, which is certainly a future option, but I'd wait a month or two first. The rest of the scarring will continue to fade, not completely, but more then it currently is." 

"So good news and bad news." I summarise. 

"Yes," agreed Qiang. "I feel I should warn you there's chances the scarring will remain if you are Turned."

My whole body stiffens, and my arms drop to my sides, then cross in a natural, defensive motion. There was no way to miss the capital 'T' emphasized when she said 'Turned'. 

"You're talking about becoming a vampire." I say, my tone sharper then I actually intended for it to be. 

"Well you're considering it, surely," Qiang says, arching a fine black eyebrow. "Your mate is a vampire. Witches and wizards may live longer lives then muggles, but certainly not for centuries. If you want to be with your vampire, eventually you'll have to be bitten."

I step back, away from Qiang. "I've had enough for today." I tell her, my voice not exactly steady. "I'd like you to leave." Her sharp eyes meet mine. 

"Avoiding the issue won't make it go away." She says. 

"I don't know about that," I counter, "chances are I'll die before I'll have to consider being...  _Turned_." 

"Are you referring to Britain's current political climate, or the vampire hunting you?" Qiang asks. 

"I don't know, both of them!" I snap. Qiang tilts her head slightly, then retrieves something from the pocket of her cheongsam. It looks like a shrunken metal box, and as Qiang held it out to me I accepted it cautiously. 

"What is it?" I asked, weighing it carefully in a hand. 

"A medical kit. Filled with everything from blood-replenishing potions, to essence of dittany, to bezoars. Carry it with you always." She ordered. 

"I... thank you." Qiang nodded briskly. 

"When you're ready to talk about the effects vampire venom has on a witch or wizard, you know how to contact me." She says. She pulls a small book out of her pocket, enlargening it with the tap of her wand, and passing it to me with a significant look before sweeping from my bedroom. 

The title of the book is ' _Turning for the Magical: Vampyre Edition_ '. 

"Goddamnit." I mutter, under my breath, walking backwards until the backs of my shins collide with my bed, and I sit down heavily. Dropping the medical kit beside me on the duvet, I bury my head in my hands, squeezing my eyes tight shut. I take a few deep breaths to stop myself from panicking. It's not working particularly well. I could hear the quick gasp, gasp, gasp of the air dragging through my lips but I couldn't stop it. I could feel my body shaking, and helpless tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. 

Desperate to distract myself, I reach for the book sitting on the nightstand. I didn't recognize it, and guessed it was one of the books Alice had lent Luna, though it wasn't the one she was reading the other day- the erotica novel ' _Bared To You_ '. This was written by Judy Blume, a favorite childhood author of mine. Her book ' _Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret_ ' had been my best friend, back before Hogwarts.

Curious, and desperate for a distraction, I flipped open the book to an earmarked page, blinking through the tears in my eyes so I could focus on the words. I wasn't worried about finding something  _adult_  within the pages- this was Judy Blume- so I almost dropped the book at the first line I read. 

_'When I kissed his face it was all sweaty and his eyes were half closed. He took my hand and led it back to-'_

"What the-," I mumble, the receding panic almost forgotten as I moved to the top of the page. 

(*the following excerpt is from Judy Blume's 'Forever...')  
 _'I got into bed and waited. In a few minutes Michael opened my door. He was wearing his same blue pajamas. He kind of waved at me and said "Hi."_

_"Hi," I answered._

_He put his glasses on the night table, turned out the light and climbed into bed beside me. After we'd kissed for awhile he took off his pajama top, then said, "Let's take yours off too... it's in the way."_

_I slipped my nightgown over my head and dropped it to the floor. Then there were just my bikini pants and Michael's pajama bottoms between us. We kissed again. Feeling him against me that way made me so excited I couldn't lie still. He rolled over on top of me and we moved together again and again and it felt so good I didn't ever want to stop — until I came._

_After a minute I reached for Michael's hand. "Show me what to do," I said._

_"Do whatever you want."_

_"Help me Michael... I feel so stupid."_

_"Don't," he said, wiggling out of his pajama bottoms. He led my hand to his penis. "Katherine... I'd like you to meet Ralph... Ralph, this is Katherine. She's a very good friend of mine."_

_"Does every penis have a name?"_

_"I can only speak for my own."_

_In books penises are always described as hot and throbbing but Ralph felt like ordinary skin. Just his shape was different — that and the fact that he wasn't smooth, exactly — as if there was a lot going on under the skin. I don't know why I'd been so nervous about touching Michael. Once I got over being scared I let my hands go everywhere. I wanted to feel every part of him._

_While I was experimenting, I asked, "Is this right?"_

_And Michael whispered, "Everything's right."'_

I slammed the book shut, pushing it away from me. The panic, the anxiety, had left me, and I was breathless for a different reason now altogether. My body felt strangely sensitive and tingly. 

I'd never really thought about sex before. Well, I mean, I  _had_ , but not about actually  _having_  it. 

But like I said to Qiang, chances were I'd be dead before I'd have to consider being Turned. My current life expectancy wasn't exactly impressive. Sure, if I stayed away from Britain, it improved drastically, but sooner or later, we'd be making our stand; the DA, the Light. And I was planning on being there when it happened. I was going to fight for what was right. Even if it killed me. 

Which... was actually a very real possibility. 

Unless, of course, the Wizarding War never actually reached a climax, and the Dark would stay in control forever, which would probably lead to Voldemort starting to branch out further and start taking over other countries too, which meant that I'd probably still be killed by Death Eaters, it would just take longer.

But all that was if Victoria didn't get lucky and actually manage to kill me. 

And all this talk of climaxes and getting lucky was making my mind turn back to the whole 'sex' thing.

I didn't want to die a virgin. Which was also actually a very real a possibility. 

I knew that sex wasn't crucial. That the love of lifetimes was based on deeper moments then making love, an admittedly amazing (or so I'd heard) but brief way to feel the intensity of passion and heat. Love, true love, was based on things like brief gestures, touches, looks... that's true love. That's what I had with Edward. If I died tomorrow, I'd die knowing that I'd loved and been loved, fully and completely. 

So, I knew it wasn't crucial, I truly did. But it was still an... interesting concept. I was a teenager and I was passionately in love with someone I trusted, with someone I knew I'd be with for the rest of my life, no matter how short or long it was.

Was I really going to do this? I thought, somewhat incredulously. Was I actually planning on... seducing my boyfriend? So I could have sex with him?

Oh sweet Morgana, I was!

"This wasn't what I was expecting to happen today." I said out loud. The door to my bedroom opened, and Luna wandered inside.

"You look a bit flustered." She said, before tilting her head. "Your blush goes all the way down to your breasts." She informs me. I look down, belatedly realizing I'm still naked. If it was anyone else other then Luna right now, I'd probably be freaking out.

As it was, the pond in Luna's garden was charmed so that any clothes that came within ten feet of it disappeared- bathers included. We'd spent several summers swimming in that pond, so certain inhibitions had been removed.

My scars made me feel more... self-conscious then I was used to, but in a way Luna's reaction- or rather, her lack of a reaction, helped. I dressed in my discarded clothes from before Qiang's visit; sweat pants and a sweater. Luna had settled down on my bed, picking up the book where I'd practically half-thrown it. 

"Oh, did you read it? It's very good," she said, happily. "It's the first book Alice lent me. She said it wasn't very arousing, but it's a good gateway into the world of erotic literature." 

"I think I shouldn't leave you alone with Alice." I sigh, fighting the blood that rushes to my cheeks when Luna says 'arousing' and 'erotic literature'. "Um... are there any other books you've finished reading that she gave you?" I blurt out, before I lose my nerve. 

"Alice said you'd ask that," Luna informed me. I groaned, burying my head in my hands, knowing that I was so far gone embarrassed right now. Luna giggled, and pushed a book into my hands. 

It was a historical romance ' _The Notorious Rake_ '. The woman on the cover was dressed in a blue, floor length gown, while the male kissing her cheek wore a frock coat, a three-piece suit with a matching waistcoat and contrasting trousers- all early 1900's fashion. 

Right around the time Edward would have been still human.

"She's a wicked girl." I inform Luna, even as I open the book and start reading the traditional regency, with a heated twist. Luna giggles and wafts from the room, swaying as she walks, like an underwater plant, delicate and graceful and not quite all there. 

The first  _heated_   _liaison_  scene of the book was in the very first chapter, with the Regency gentleman, Lord Edmund Waite, doing what he could for a lady in distress, the Lady Mary Gregg, who had an extreme fear of thunder and lightning. 

_'The simultaneous flash of lightning and crack of thunder shook the earth, or so it seemed. But he was moving in her with slow deep strokes and his weight was so heavy on her and the wooden top of the table so unyielding that she could scarcely draw breath. She felt as if she had finally succeeded in crawling inside him, and she felt almost safe. She heard someone whimpering and forced herself to be quiet again._

_"It will be all right, Mary," he said against her mouth. "It will pass again."'_

"Bella?"

"Holy hippogriff!" I shriek, slamming the book shut as I nearly crick my neck I look up so quickly. Edward is standing in the doorway of my room, looking confused, and my cheeks start burning as all the blood in my body that was making it's way lower down, turning everything all nice and tingly, rushed to my face. 

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, looking concerned.

"Ye- I mean no! I mean- I need a human moment!" Edward steps out of my room, shutting the door, and I just sort of stare at it, blushing furiously. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my hands are all sweaty.

This is not a good start to seducing my mate, I decide.

If Edward is curious about my behavior, he doesn't say anything. He joins Charlie, Luna and I at the dinner table, where Luna has cooked some sort of reddish-brown colored soup, that tastes sort of sweet and sour, with fine noodles, boiled potatoes, some sort of little dumplings, dried plums and cherries mixed through it. 

"How do you know how to make czernina?" Edward asks her. Luna gives him a dreamy sort of smile.

"My babcia's name was Księżyc. It's also my middle name." She tells him. 

"Ah." Edward nods. 

"I'm a little bit confused." Charlie says, looking at Luna, then Edward, then back again.

"This is a traditional Polish dish," Edward explains, "I was wondering how Luna knew it."

"Her grandmother's from Poland." I tell them, and Edward nods.

"Yes- Księżyc means moon in Polish." 

"My mother, Selene, was born in Britain." Luna said, "and she grew up in Britain. But babcia lived with us for a little while after mama passed away, and she taught me how to cook." 

Charlie's clears his throat, gruffly. "She taught you well." He says, awkward with the emotion in the room. "What's in it? It's delicious." He adds, gesturing at the soup. Edward's lips curve into an amused smile.

"It's main ingredients are duck blood and poultry broth." Charlie makes a choked sound, and my stomach tenses slightly. 

"What?" I squeak. 

"It's also got sugar, vinegar, dried plums, pear syrup, boiled potatoes, cherries, kluski and noodles." Luna adds, serenely. 

Charlie looks a little green around the gills. "Er, about how much... blood is in the soup?" he asks, a little weakly. 

"Dad!" I interrupt, holding up my hands. "Merlin, just- the soup was delicious, I don't want to know  _what_  went in it, or how much of  _what_  went in it, okay? In fact, let's never speak of this again." 

Charlie agrees hastily, and when I offer to collect the bowls to put them in the sink, he mutters in my ear, "maybe you should take over the kitchen."

I'm inclined to agree with him.

Feeling slightly nauseous as I brush my teeth, getting ready for bed, I'm not sure whether it's more from the duck blood soup or because Luna had patted my hand earlier and informed me she would be spending the night at the Cullen's house, as Rosalie had invited her over earlier. 

I had a feeling Alice and her damn visions were involved. Either way, Luna was out of the house, Charlie had night shift at work, and Edward and I would have the house to ourselves, and be alone for the first time since the sudden insight I'd had earlier. 

Nearly as soon as Charlie was out of the front door, with a loud sigh and a 'be good, kids', despite the fact he was now aware that Edward was likely older then him, Edward's lips found mine. 

Without breaking the kiss, he swung me up so that I was cradled in his arms, and continued to kiss me for several minutes. He seemed less guarded than usual, his mouth cold and urgent on mine. 

I was dizzy and had to remind myself to breathe, but I was beginning to feel cautiously optimistic. Perhaps getting what I wanted would not be as difficult as I'd expected it to be?

 


	9. Chapter 9

** *Warning: mildly explicit content ahead.* **

****

**CHAPTER NINE:**

_I was dizzy and had to remind myself to breathe, but I was beginning to feel cautiously optimistic. Perhaps getting what I wanted would not be as difficult as I'd expected it to be?_

No, of course it was going to be just exactly that difficult.

With a low chuckle, Edward pulled me away, holding me at arm's length.

"I love you," he said, his eyes liquid and warm.

"Yeah, me too," I said, breathless.

He set me gently on my feet. I wrapped both my arms around him, refusing to allow any space between us. He chuckled softly, scooping me up once more, and nearly flying up the stairs to my room. 

With a smirk, he dropped me on my bed and I let out a squawk as I fell with a slight thump, bouncing on the mattress. He laughed at the pout I sent him, before settling down next to me.

I leaned into him, ducking my head under his arm and cuddling into his side. It probably felt similar to snuggling with Michelangelo's David, except that this perfect marble creature wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer.

It seemed like a good place to start.

"Can we discuss something? I'd appreciate it if you could begin by being open-minded."

He hesitated for a moment. "I'll give it my best effort," he agreed, cautious now. I opened my mouth, shut it, then opened it again but didn't say anything, struggling to find exactly the right words to open with.

"Listen to your heart fly," he murmured. "It's fluttering like a hummingbird's wings. Are you all right?"

"I'm great." My voice was a bit squeaky, ducking my head to examine the faint scarring on the backs of my hands like it was the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen. 

"Please go on then," Edward encouraged.

I still didn't know how to begin. I felt his eyes watching me and I was afraid to look up. The blood began to burn in my face.

His cool fingers brushed my cheek. "You're blushing?" he asked in surprise. I kept my eyes down.

"Please, Bella, the suspense is painful."

I bit my lip.

"Bella." His tone reproached me now, reminded me that it was hard for him when I kept my thoughts to myself. Well, tough. He could see what it was like for the rest of us who had to rely on  _communication_. 

Of course, I was struggling a bit with the whole 'communicating' thing right now. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at his face.

"Edward," I said, unable to help my nerves. "There's something that I want to do."

He waited for me to continue. I didn't. My face was all hot.

"Whatever you want," he encouraged, anxious and completely clueless.

"Do you promise?" I asked, knowing my attempt to trap him with his words was not going to work, but unable to resist.

"Yes," he said. His eyes were earnest and confused. "Tell me what you want, and you can have it."

I couldn't believe how awkward and idiotic I felt. I was too innocent- which was, of course, central to the discussion. I didn't have the faintest idea how to be seductive. I would just have to settle for flushed and self-conscious.

"You," I mumbled almost incoherently.

"I'm yours." He smiled, still oblivious, trying to hold my gaze as I looked away again.

I took a deep breath and shifted forward so that I was kneeling on the bed. Then I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

He kissed me back, bewildered but willing. His lips were gentle against mine, and I could tell his mind was elsewhere- trying to figure out what was on my mind. I decided he needed a hint.

My hands were slightly shaky as I unlocked my arms from around his neck. My fingers slid down his neck to the collar of his shirt. The trembling didn't help as I tried to hurry to undo the buttons before he stopped me. His lips froze, and I could almost hear the click in his head as he put together my words and my actions.

He pushed me away at once, his face a mixture of highly shocked and heavily disapproving.

"Be reasonable, Bella."

"You promised- whatever I wanted," I reminded him without hope.

"We're not having this discussion." He glared at me while he refastened the two buttons I'd managed to open.

My teeth clamped together.

"I say we are," I growled, lunging for his shirt again.

He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my sides.

"I say we're not," he said flatly.

We glowered at each other.

"You wanted to know," I pointed out.

"I thought it would be something faintly realistic."

I took a deep breath to steady myself. And, as the anger began to fade, I felt something else.

It took me a minute to recognize why I was staring down again, the blush returning- why my stomach felt uneasy for a reason that had nothing to do with duck blood soup, why there was too much moisture in my eyes, why I suddenly wanted to run from the room.

Rejection washed through me, instinctive and strong.

I knew it was irrational. He'd been very clear on other occasions that my safety was the only factor. Yet I'd never made myself quite so vulnerable before. I scowled at my comforter and tried to banish the reflex reaction that told me I was unwanted and unwantable.

Edward sighed. The hand over my mouth moved under my chin, and he pulled my face up until I had to look at him.

"What now?"

"Nothing," I mumbled.

He scrutinized my face for long moment while I tried unsuccessfully to twist away from his gaze. His brow furrowed, and his expression became horrified.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" he asked, shocked.

"No," I lied.

So quickly that I wasn't even sure how it happened, I was in his arms, my face cradled between his shoulder and his hand, while his thumb stroked reassuringly against my cheek.

"You know why I have to say no," he murmured. "You know that I want you, too."

"Do you?" I whispered, my voice full of doubt.

"Of course I do, you silly, beautiful, oversensitive girl." He laughed once, and then his voice was bleak. "Doesn't everyone? I feel like there's a line behind me, jockeying for position, waiting for me to make a big enough mistake... You're too desirable for your own good."

"Who's being silly now?" I doubted if awkward, self-conscious, and inept added up to desirable in anyone's book.

"Do I have to send a petition around to get you to believe? Shall I tell you whose names would be on the top of the list? You know a few of them, but some might surprise you."

I shook my head against his chest, grimacing. "You're just trying to distract me. Let's get back to the subject."

He sighed.

"Bella... it's not possible. You're too-too  _breakable_." 

"Edward," my nausea had returned, twofold, as I realized we were about to have a conversation that I wanted to put off for as long as possible. "You realize," my voice was shaky, "you realize I might always be this breakable." 

His body went stiff, and I couldn't look at him. "I know." He whispered, and his voice sounded  _tortured_. "You've never even once asked about being Turned."

"Oh Edward," it was my turn to cradle his face, tilting it so he had to look me in the eyes. "I love you," I told him, strongly, "you are the only one I will ever love like this. You are the love of my life, my one and only. I love you more then life. You  _are_  my life. But I can't be a vampire." 

As I spoke the words, I felt like something heavy fell away, fell off my shoulders. I inhaled and exhaled, feeling freer, a burden I'd been aware of but too scared to do anything about having finally lifted. 

"Not  _won't_ , you  _can't_?" Edward tests the words in his mouth. "Is it not possible? For a witch to be Turned into a vampire?"

I think back to Qiang's book, to my own research, to my DADA classes, and shake my head. "It's possible, but being Turned into a vampire... it means giving up your magic." Edward turns to stone under my touch. 

"To ask you to be a vampire... I'd be taking your life, your soul and your magic." He breathes, and there's agony in his eyes. "I never wanted for you to be Turned, Bella, but a selfish, selfish part of me thought that you would insist, and then I wouldn't have to feel the guilt that I should, and I would have you forever." 

Warmth trickles down my cheeks, and I realize, with shock, that I'm actually crying. Edward's eyes are shining with tears he physically cannot spill. I lean against him, against his chest, where a heart should be beating hot, warm blood through his body, a chest that should be rising and falling to provide oxygen.

There was no heartbeat, and his chest was still. There would never be a heartbeat, and his chest would only ever rise and fall when he chose it to.

"I would do all that," I'm speaking into the fabric of his shirt, but I can hear what I'm saying clearly enough that I know he will be able to hear too. "I would give you all that- I  _want_  to give you all that. I want to always be by your side. I'd give away my magic in a heartbeat. I never wanted to live forever, to watch my friends and family grow old around me while I stayed young, but with you, forever... forever wouldn't be a curse. It would be a blessing. I'd stand by your side forever, loving you forever. I'd give up my magic and my human life for us without hesitation. And we both know I think vampires having no soul is ridiculous. Needing blood to live doesn't make someone a monster. You and your family, you're not monsters because you care. The moment you stop caring about human life, the moment you throw away compassion, morals and ability to love, that's when you lose your soul. That's when you become a monster."

"I don't understand." Edward's voice sounded bleak. "If you would give everything up, why... why did you say you can't be a vampire?"

"Because I can't give up my magic yet, Edward."

Edward sucks in a breath he doesn't really need, cold hands cradling my face, pulling me off his chest so he can look me in the eye. 

"You're talking about... about the War. You won't be Turned because you think- no, you  _know_  you'll still need your magic. And you'll need it because..." his voice trails off briefly, his expression horrified, "because you're planning on  _fighting_."

"Edward," I look at him, not sure what to say, "I thought you already knew that. That I planned on fighting."

"I didn't want to think it." His eyes are tortured, the agony and pain in them making me cringe. He looks almost like he wants to grab me and run, far, far away from anything that could possibly hurt me, put me in any sort of danger.

"This wasn't what I was expecting to come out of this conversation tonight." I mumble, looking down, unable to bear holding his gaze. His hands, still curled under my chin, gently tilt my head back up, and he presses his lips to mine. I close my eyes, losing myself to the sensation, to his lips moving against mine.

His hands leave my jaw, trailing down my sides. I suck in a startled breath when, hesitantly, they move under the front of my sweater.

His cool fingers press against my overheated flesh, and I gasp into his mouth. My fingers greedily tangle into his hair, and I let out a moan as his fingertips dance along the soft flesh of my stomach. I move from his lips to his jaw, then trailing kisses down the line of his throat to his collarbone. Icy fingers trace lines down my sides, and, in a somewhat impulsive move, I move back and pull off my sweater, so I'm sitting before him, in just a bra and sweatpants.

His golden eyes almost look like they're burning as they sweep over my front. My breath hitches slightly when he doesn't say anything, and suddenly all I can think about is the scars, and how inadequate I am, this soft, fleshy, broken thing, before this glorious, marble god. 

And then Edward lets out an honest to god  _moan_ , and suddenly I feel like the most beautiful thing in the world. He gently lays me on my back, in a move so swift I barely feel it, and his lips trail over every scar, every pink line, and I can feel that tingling heat in my abdomen and lower, building up. Letting out a somewhat embarrassing mewling noise, I buck my hips up into him without even meaning to. A thrill of pleasure jolts through me at the contact, and a breathless moan escapes my throat.

"E-Edward," I moan, moving against him again and again. The heat was building inside me, a glorious, tingling rush I'd never felt before, not like this. His mouth met mine, and his tongue swept out against my lips. I let him in, begged him in. I didn't even try holding back the moans that escaped as his mouth slanted over mine again. I pushed more into the kiss this time, twining our tongues, not demanding or aggressive, sloppy or over-eager. Slow and sensual, soothing and thrilling our lips and tongues slid together and he made a sound like a mix between a growl and a moan.

My movements became more frantic, pressing my body against his, my breasts to his chest, my groin to his. It almost took me by surprise, one moment I was rocking against Edward, the next I was muffling a scream as the built up rush reached its climax.

I lay there, trembling, my limbs feeling oddly weak and heavy. My breath came quick and harsh, and my entire body felt hypersensitive. Edward moved, rolling so he was lying beside me, not hovering over me.

Gathering enough of my wits about me so I could string a sentence together, I remembered the book, and managed to ask without nervously giggling, "did you... you know,  _come_?" I whispered the last word, as it felt almost dirty in my mouth. I looked up to meet his eyes and immediately had to look away, heat spreading across my cheeks. 

Edward was looking at me like he'd never seen me before, but not in a bad way; admiration. Pure admiration. He was looking at me like I was the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen.

"You're  _stunning_ , Bella," he spoke up, and he sounded impossibly breathless. I looked up at him, and reached for his hand, remembered what the girl in Judy Blume's book- Katherine- had asked, and practically whispered,

"Show me what to do." It took Edward a moment to realize, and then he made a shocked sound.

"Bella, I-"

"I  _want_  to, Edward," I shivered slightly, remembering the wonderful feelings he'd given me. "Show me what to do." When Edward still hesitated, still that early 1900's gentleman, I took the initiative to pull his pants down, over his hips, down his thighs, to his knees. He was wearing silk boxers, cream colored. Edward didn't move to stop me when my hands moved to the waist-band of the silk boxers, instead he was holding himself perfectly still, his hands clenched at his sides in fists. When I pulled them down, down to his knees, I almost stopped breathing.

I'd seen a picture of a male's sexual organ before in health class, and then biology, but there was something about seeing it in this sort of environment... I'd heard of girls who used their mouths and tongues to bring their partner's pleasure, but I wasn't ready for that. Instead, I reached out and gently touched  _it_ , causing Edward to inhale sharply in surprise. It seemed like a good sort of reaction, so I took a leaf out of Katherine's book and let my hands go  _everywhere_ , exploring hard, cold flesh.

Edward made a stuttered groaning sound, and I decided that I had to be doing something right, so I kept doing it until he suddenly pulled away. I jerked back, for a moment surprised and hurt, then I realized he'd ripped off his boxers, still around his knees, and used them to-  _oh_. Right. Males made more of a mess then a woman did when they reached orgasm.

I wasn't sure how Edward discarded of the ruined, stained boxers, which probably cost more money then I even wanted to think about spending on a pair of underwear, but he only disappeared for a moment, before lying back down next to me.

"So where did that come from?" I asked, snuggling up beside him. I shivered a bit, his cool temperature pressed against my overheated flesh more uncomfortable then stimulating now, and grabbed my wand from the bedside table to cast a quick heating charm on him, before snuggling back to him. He held me tenderly, and I rested my face in the crook of his shoulder. 

"I love you." Edward said, simply. "I want you to be happy, because you're always trying to make everyone else happy, even at the cost of your own. You are..." he moved his head, tilting it down to press his lips against my forehead. "You are the love of my life, no matter for how long you are in it." He murmurs, marble lips moving against my forehead. "You will always be my one love. I want forever with you, Bella, but if we can't have forever, then we'll make what time we do have count." My eyes are wet, and I sniff. This isn't exactly the most cheerful conversation to be having in my first post-orgasm afterglow, but...

"Forever. I love you forever. No matter what happens." I promise him, wetly. 

"Forever." He whispers against my forehead.

_Forever. No matter how long or short it is._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, this chapter may be a touch controversial, but I explained why I wrote it the way I did at the end. I thought about doing it differently, re-writing it, but I decided this was what I had planned, and this was my story, so I was keeping it the way I originally wrote it. Anyway, I hope you do like it :)**

 

**CHAPTER TEN:**

"So what's the latest pack scandal?" I asked lightly. Jacob and I were walking aimlessly down the beach, Jacob stopping every now and then to skip a rock. 

After our...  _special night_ , Edward had, well, loosened up when it came to Jacob. Maybe it was because he knew he didn't have to be jealous now that he had truly seen the extent of my love. Maybe it was because his eyes had been opened to the real risks in my life right now, of which a juvenile shape-shifter just really wasn't. Maybe he realized just how tragically short my life could be cut at any moment, and wanted me to be as happy as I could in the time I had left.

The end was coming. I wasn't saying that in a doomsday approaching sort of way, but the climax of the Wizarding War was building up. I could sense it over Potterwatch, listening to the Light who were still fighting. I could see it in Luna, the way she would tilt her head as her invisible creatures whispered to her, the way her face would set afterwards, in a grim, grim determination. I could see it in Katie's eyes, the set of her mouth as she read the newspaper Mrs. Weber had delivered and Angela brought to school for her new girlfriend every day.

Because they were girlfriends, now. They'd gone on their first date, had shared their first kiss. Now when they sat together, I saw the way their hands brushed, saw the secret smiles they shared; I saw how they felt for each other. I saw the emotions that would one day develop into love, if it wasn't already.

Jacob was... not aware of the expiry date hovering over my head. Well, perhaps that was a little dramatic. Jacob was not aware of the possible expiry date hovering over my head. He just thought Edward had "finally taken that stake out of his bloodsucker ass". He sounded almost put-off when he said that too, as if he'd much rather be butting heads with Edward over whether or not I could spend time with him, on Quileute land. Idiot boys. I controlled my own movements- I was in charge of me. They should both know better then to try and order me to stay away from the other. At least they'd finally wised up.

Either way, it was Thursday afternoon, tomorrow was the damn prom, and then it was finals, and then graduation, and then... then  _god knows what_. I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to enjoy my life, exactly, while waiting for the gavel to drop; for damn Victoria to make her move, and for the summons for what I presumed would be a Last Stand. I wasn't sure, but goddamn I was determined to try, and I was going to do it with those I loved.

Which was why I was with Jake, who had currently skidded to a halt, looking at me with wide eyes following my quip. I arched an eyebrow, now actually genuinely curious. "It was a joke," I told him, "what, don't tell me there's actually a scandal!?" 

"Well, sort of." He admitted, "not so much a scandal, but... Quil imprinted. That's three now. The rest of us are starting to get anxious. Maybe... maybe it's more common then the stories say." 

"Imprinting," I scanned my memories, trying to figure out where I'd heard the phrase before. "It sounds familiar." 

"How much of Quileute Legend do you know?" Jacob asked.

"Mostly what your dad told me, about the Cold Ones." I admit easily. "I know a bit more about the wisakachek. I think that's where I heard it."

"Wisakachek?" Jacob pulls a face. "What the hell are they?" 

"You are." I give him an odd look. "Native American shape-shifters. Wolves are the most common form, but there have been recorded instances of cougars, coyotes, lynxes, pumas and wolverines." 

"You mean we're not werewolves?" Jacob looked crushed, almost, at the revelation. I gaped at him.

"Holy shit,  _NO_  you're not a freaking werewolf!" I shook my head, "Jesus, Jake... being a werewolf, it's a curse. It's caused by infection, lycanthropy, it's called. A werewolf... it can't chose whether or not to transform, and once the full moon rises the werewolf will no longer remember who they are and would kill even their best friend given the opportunity once transformed. And then, once they've reverted back to their human form, they're able to recall every little thing they've experienced throughout their transformation. Plus the transformation itself is described as agony, with every bone having to break, every muscle and tendon having to tear, in order to reshape. Like I said, being a werewolf is a curse."

Jacob looked pale. "I... god, I had no idea." 

"I know two werewolves," I tell him. "One of them was my professor, when I was twelve. He's gentle and kind, and takes a special sort of potion that allows him to keep his mind during the agonizing transformation, and throughout the night of the full moon. Before the potion was invented, he would lock himself up so he couldn't escape, and when the werewolf couldn't find anything to attack, it would turn on itself, ripping itself to shreds, leaving Professor Lupin injured and in great pain when he'd turn back once the sun rose. But the other werewolf... I only ever met him once, when he chewed off half the face of the older brother of one of my close friends- while still in human form. Fenrir Greyback is... he's  _sick_. He's  _evil_. He doesn't take the potion, instead he waits near wherever he wants to attack, so once he's turned the werewolf will tear his chosen victims to shreds. Greyback, he... he likes children. He bites them young- the ones he chooses to keep alive, anyway. He was the one who Bit Professor Lupin, back when he was only five years old." 

"He chewed off someone's face?" Jacob looks a bit green now. "When he wasn't even transformed!?" 

"He's the real monster, Jake. Not the Cullens, who've done their best with the condition forced upon them. The real monsters are those who freely hurt and kill people just because they happen to be born to parents who aren't magical. Because their blood is diluted with muggles. Because they love someone without magic, or who isn't even fully human. The real monsters are those who lock innocent young girls in cellars for months at a time, starving and torturing her, just because her father is publishing a paper against the current political climate! The real monsters are those who laugh as they destroy everything around them! The real monsters are those who choose to do the awful, awful things they do!" I'm trembling, and I don't realize it until Jacob pulls me into a hug. 

I collapse into his warmth, taking deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. "Take deep breaths with me, Bells," Jacob coaxes me, "come on, you can do it- one in, two out, one in, two out." I listen to his instructions, copy what he's getting me to do, concentrating on my breathing until I've stopped hyperventilating, until my body has stopped trembling so violently the world is spinning out of focus around me. 

"You okay?" Jacob asks softly. I take a few more deep breaths and nod. 

"Yeah. Sorry." 

"Never be sorry." He tells me, sternly, and I smile at him.

"Okay, not sorry." 

He smiles at me, white teeth against russet skin. "So want to hear why Quil's imprinting is such a scandal?"

"If you remind me what imprinting actually is- soul mates or something, right?"

"A perfect match, designed for their imprint alone, recognizable at first sight, after the first time phasing into a wolf." Jacob sums up for me. I nod.

"Okay. Scandalize me."

"Well, Emily's nieces came down to visit. And Quil imprinted on one of them." Jacob said.

"Still not getting the scandal," I prod. Jacob grins, and I groan. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh very much so," he assures me, "The scandal is that Claire," he pauses significantly, "is two-years-old." I blink.

"Yikes. That's gotta be awkward to explain to the parents. Hi, I'm a random teenage boy and I want to spend time with your toddler daughter because I'm her future soul mate."

"You're not being judgmental." Jacob grouches, with a truly ridiculous pout on his face. I laugh.

"What, you expected me to be all pissy? I know Quil- he'd never do anything to that little girl. He's not getting any older- he can be patient, can wait for her." 

"I've seen it through Quil's eyes," Jacob agrees, "There's nothing romantic about it at all. It's so hard to describe. It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her... You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother. Quil will be the best, kindest big brother any kid ever had. There isn't a toddler on the planet that will be more carefully looked after than that little girl will be. And then, when she's older and needs a friend, he'll be more understanding, trustworthy, and reliable than anyone else she knows. And then, when she's grown up, they'll be as happy as Emily and Sam."

"Wow, you really should not call him her big brother. That is so wrong." I pull a face. Jacob grins.

"Okay, not the best choice of words there."

"Just a bit." I laugh, before turning more serious. "Do you think it will ever happen to you?" My interest is piqued when Jacob hesitates before answering.

"I... don't know."

"You don't know?" I press, curious at his answer. "I thought you couldn't control it." He sighs, looking like he's aged ten years in a moment, without losing any of his good looks while doing so. 

"It's... kinda messed up." He admits. 

"You  _can_  tell me." I huff, "best friends, remember?"

"I thought I was in love with you." Jacob blurts out. I gape at him.

" _What_?" 

"I... I thought I was in love with you. Whenever I closed my eyes, you were all I saw. Whenever I checked out a girl, all I'd see were pieces of you in her, the way she walked, the way she blushed, the shade of her eyes... I thought you were it for me, that you were the one. And then  _he_  came back, and I realized... I realized that you might love me, but you love him more. He came first, and he... you love him in a way you'll never love anyone else. And I was angry for a while, when I figured that out. That's when I wouldn't answer your calls, and all that shit. I think I was trying to punish you, for destroying but I thought we had. But seeing Quil with Claire, I realized something- you're pretty awesome and you're gorgeous, but it wasn't until we caught up before you went to Milan that I finally realized it; I fell in love with the idea of falling in love you. You're a fucking awesome kick-ass girl who I admire and I love, who I always will love, but I'm not  _in_  love with you. You're one my best friends, Bella, but I don't think you're the love of my life."

"Well thank fuck you worked that out. That could have been a whole big mess." I tell him, honestly. Maybe if I'd crashed harder after Edward left, if I hadn't had Angela and Katie, if Jacob had been my only link to sanity, leaving me clinging to him tighter then a limpet to a rock during a storm, then maybe what we had could have become something more. Something confusing and distressing that would have probably ripped us, and our friendship, to pieces.

Instead, I've got another best friend. The girl who grew up alone until she turned eleven and met who would be her first real friend at her new magical (literally) school. The girl who now had several close friends, four best friends, one best friend ever, and a man she loved. 

Angela, Katie, Alice and Jacob.

_Luna and Edward_.

They were my life, the people I'd do practically anything for. 

"You're one of my best friends." I tell Jacob, who smiles at me.

"You're one of my best friends too. And the only girl one."

"Well, you're my only boy one. So I guess in a way we are each other's one and only." I wink, and he laughs, before grinning at me, happily.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked, "we could go back to the house, grab our bikes. You have to ride a motorcycle regularly to keep it in tune, you know."

"Charlie would kill me."

"He doesn't have to know."

"Edward probably will too." Jacob scoffs.

"Like you've ever let anyone tell you what you can and can't do."

"You've tried," I remind him, and he shrugs, sheepishly. 

"I love you. I was only trying to help."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go ride motorbikes, fur-for-brains."

"Actually, there's... there's one thing I want to ask." Jacob suddenly looked anxious. 

"Jake?" I asked, nervous.

"It's just... I know Sam wants me to ask, and so do the elders, but I swear to god I'm not asking for them, I asking for me." I'm confused for several long moments, before it dawns on me.

"You want to know if Edward's going to Turn me." I realize. 

How has this bloody topic come up three times in less then a week after months and months of avoidance? I wasn't sure, and I was also very unhappy about it.

"Do you think that's any of your business?" I ask, tone sharper then I intended. When Jacob flinches back, I grimace. "Sorry, didn't mean to lash out at you. I just... it's a sensitive topic. You can tell Sam and the elders that at this current moment in time there is no risk of a Cullen Turning me- or any other vampire, for that matter."

"And you won't tell me why?" Jacob presses, and I shake my head.

"Let's go ride motorbikes, Jake." I say, firmly, and he hesitates for a moment, then nods.

"We should go racing. I always enjoy kicking your ass." He grins boyishly at me, and I scowl.

"Oh you wish, buster!" 

"Oh, and Bells?"

"Yeah?"

"I still hate bloodsucking leeches. Just so you know."

"Of course." I roll my eyes.

-

Why is it that when you're dreading something, it always arrive so quickly? I pondered this undeniable fact of life glumly, examining the dress laid across Alice and Jasper's bed with no small amount of dread.

"For goodness sakes, it's not going to bite you," Alice huffs. 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," I mutter, glaring at the material. Alice rolls her eyes. 

"Your hair is fabulous, your nails are flawless, and your make-up is perfection. It's time to put on the dress." She informs me, and I reach up to brush my fingertips along the wisps of silk and chiffon flowers she'd pinned into my elaborately styled curls. 

Along with Luna, I'd spent the better part of the day in Alice's staggeringly vast bathroom, a helpless victim as she played hairdresser and cosmetician, buffing, polishing and beautifying our every surface. I felt unbelievably pretty right now, in this moment, but I was literally dreading the evening.

Prom. Bloody Prom. Why had I ever let Alice convince me to do this? I wondered, mournfully, staring at the deep blue material.   

"Just put it on, Bella," Alice sighs, and I steel my nerves and pick up the dress. 

-

I don't know what I was expecting for the Prom set-up, when we pulled in at the school, just Edward and I in his Volvo, Alice and Luna having taken Rosalie's convertible, and Katie and Angela taking Angela's small Honda. Balloon arches, probably, and twisted garlands of pastel crepe paper covering the walls of the gym, the only building I'd assumed was large enough in Forks to host the Prom. 

I should have remembered that Alice was on the planning committee. 

It was breathtaking. A giant marque had been set up on the school oval, supported by pine poles. The gleaming dance floor was colored gold, and small, white-clothed tables were heaped with silver trays of tarts, small cakes and sandwiches sliced into triangles. A champagne tower was set up in the center, looking like something straight out of a movie. There were even a handful of waitresses milling around the crowd, girls I recognized from the lower year levels, dressed in black, their young faces shining in wide-eyed excitement as they carried around trays of bubbly soft-drinks and bite-sized quiches. It was twilight, the sun setting behind trees lit up by glimmering light strung up along their branches, around their trunks. 

The general atmosphere was a mixture of amazed and excited, but still far more relaxed then I was expecting. The crowd was spread out under the soft shine of the twinkle lights, and people were mingling, to talk, to laugh, and a handful of couples were already swaying together on the dance floor.

Everyone looked wonderful, but our group stood out, vampires and humans both. 

I wouldn't be exaggerating even slightly to say we were easily the best dressed at this small town's only high school's prom- that wasn't exactly surprising either, considering I highly doubted anyone else had spent a weekend in Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world, where they perused designer shops for their prom dresses, spending Alice's somewhat considerable fortune on our outfits.

Angela wore a backless, long, black dress, sleekly fitted, with an asymmetrical hem slit to mid-thigh on the longer side. The silken inner lining, trim, and shimmering intricate embroidery were dark gold with thinner pale yellow highlights. High collar in the back, but open in the front, an artfully exposed triangle of skin was left visible from her throat to the very tops of her breasts. The ensemble was caught between oriental  _cheongsam_  and modern  _little-black-dress_ , and suited her long, slender figure well. 

Next to her, the shorter Katie wore a yellow silk dress that shimmered almost gold when she moved. It had soft puffs of taffeta at the shoulders for straps, nipping in to her narrow waist, then spilling out with stays beneath skirts to give her hips more emphasized curves. 

Alice looked unbelievably delicate and pretty in a deep blue, floor-length, sequined embellished gown. The dress had a lace skirt with sheer panels and a corseted bodice, with jeweled patterns and silver sequins hand-sewn on the hemline. The fashionista vampire had paired her dress with a  _Pologeorgis_  fur stole,  _Van Cleef & Arpels_ jewelry, and  _Manolo Blahnik_  heels. She epitomized exoticism, gracefulness, and femininity.

With her arm linked with the pixie vampire was Luna, looking as unusual as ever, in a satiny type bronze dress that had a kimono feel to it, with an asymmetrical skirt that cut off mid-thigh at the front while the back formed an ankle-length train of thin, opaque silk layers. Matching gloves reached her elbows, and a pair of heels with ribbons that wrapped up to her knees in the same bronze colour, and patterned stockings that were the same deep blue as Alice's dress and made Luna's legs look like they had roses tracing up them finished the outfit. Her long, pale hair was done up intricately by Rosalie, the top half braided into complex multiple plaits wrapped around her head like a crown, the rest falling down into curled locks, with a bit of lacy blue veil attached. 

Blue and bronze- Ravenclaw, I realized, with a start, and with a smile. And Katie and Angela with their black and yellow were Hufflepuff.

Out of our group of friends, Edward and I perhaps looked the least exotic. My taste was simpler then my friends, and my dress reflected this; a deep blue turtleneck, long-sleeved gown that hugged my body before flaring out at my hips, falling to my knees. My shoes were only an inch high, an old-fashioned spool-heel style; dark brown in color, with a little bit of ribbon. At my side, Edward wore an ash-grey suit, with a stiff white shirt and a deep blue tie that matched the shade of my dress exactly, and brown suede shoes that probably cost more then Charlie made in a year. 

Resplendent. We looked resplendent. All of us, we were the  _Belles de la Balle_ , and looking at our reflection, together, I actually felt like I almost belonged at Edward's side. We were a couple that fit together as well as Angela and Katie, physically so different, but still a pair how it mattered; two parts of a whole. 

I was happy with the idea of just watching the others dance, Luna and Alice in particular whirling gracefully across the dance floor, moving flawlessly in time with each otherin a style totally unsuitable to the present time, a deep contrast to the more casual swaying the other couples were engaged in, but Edward seemed determined to tow me to the dance floor.

"Edward." My throat was so dry I could only manage a whisper. "I honestly can't dance!" I could feel the panic bubbling up inside my chest.

"Don't worry, silly," he whispered back. "I can." He put my arms around his neck and lifted me to slide his feet under mine. And then we were whirling, too.

"I feel like I'm five years old," I laughed after a few minutes of effortless waltzing.

"You don't look five," he murmured, pulling me closer for a second, so that my feet were briefly a foot from the ground.

"You certainly don't make me feel five when you hold me like this," I respond, a touch breathless as my body was plastered flush against his, my breasts pushing against his chest, my groin to his. He laughed softly, our lips brushing together for a mere second, before he was spinning me again. I gave him a playful pout, before relaxing into the dance.

Alice caught my eye on a turn and smiled in encouragement- I smiled back. I was surprised to realize that I was actually... enjoying myself.

The evening passed in a giddy sort of happiness. I danced with Luna, Angela, Katie and Alice, but mostly with Edward. I had a single glass of champagne, which tasted awful but not as bad as the scotch Charlie gave me after Edward left, all those horrible months ago. I posed with my friends for the photobooth, and then with Edward for the official photographer. And I danced some more.

Finally, once it was nearing midnight, Edward led me off the dance floor, out from under the marque, and across the dim grounds. As soon as we were alone, he swung me up into his arms, and carried me across the school grounds till he reached the bench beneath the shadow of the madrone trees. He sat there, keeping me cradled against his chest. The moon was already up, visible through the gauzy clouds, and his face glowed pale in the white light. His eyes were burning with a sort of intensity that made me shiver, but in a good way.

"Edward?" I asked, breathlessly, "What is it?"

"Isabella Marie Swan," he murmured, cradling my left hand in his two, icy, slender hands. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" And that's when I realized he was holding a ring. 

It was a beautiful ring- stunning, in fact. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones. The band was gold- delicate and narrow. The gold made a fragile web around the diamonds.

I stared at the ring for a long moment, then up at his face. "You're not joking." My voice was weak.

"Definitely not." He assured me.

"I'm only seventeen years old." There was an edge of hysteria in my voice. 

"That means you're of age in the Magical World, which I think it's fair to say we're both a part of. Besides, I'm nearly a hundred and ten. It's time I settled down."

"Oh  _holy mother of Merlin_ , this is  _real_..." 

"Very real." 

My hands were trembling as I reached for the ring, but his long fingers beat me there. He took my left hand in his, and slid the ring into place on my third finger. He held my hand out, and we both examined the oval sparkling against my skin. I couldn't breathe properly as I stared at it. 

"It was my mother's ring," Edward said, and I could hear the strong emotion burning in his voice. "A perfect fit." 

"You like that, don't you?" I whispered, dizzy almost. I looked up from Elizabeth Masen's ring, sparkling under the moonlight, to Edward, and he was  _glowing_ \- his angel's face was brilliant with joy and victory, and so utterly glorious that it knocked me breathless.

Before I could catch that breath, he was kissing me, his lips exultant. I was lightheaded when he moved his mouth to whisper in my ear- but his breathing was just as ragged as mine.

"Yes, I like it. You have no idea."

I laughed, gasping a little. "I believe you."

I hadn't thought about marriage, not really. I planned to spend the rest of my life, no matter how short, or how long it was with Edward. I was his, and he was mine. What we had was never going to fade. But marriage... the concept didn't fit with the image I had of Edward, of this radiant, otherworldly being that, by some miracle, loved me as much as I loved him.

"Okay," I found myself saying, without my brain's permission, "I'll do it. I'll marry you." 

 

**A/N: So, I suspect this chapter may raise a few eyebrows, so I'll put my thoughts as I wrote it into words- in New Moon, Jacob was all Bella had when Edward left. In my story, she had Angela and Katie, as well as the knowledge Edward loved her. She also had a focus, finding out what happened to Luna. This meant she didn't rely on Jacob the same way, so they didn't form the same sort of intense connection. She sees him purely as a friend, and has made that abundantly obvious.**

**And the marriage thing- in the Wizarding World, people marry younger, especially during wartime. Plus, Bella's not exactly close- _at all_ \- to Renée, so she doesn't really care what she thinks about early marriage. Also, Bella is preparing for what could very well be her impending death, so she wants to live while she can, to live for every moment. That's how I've written her, anyway. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, controversy and all!**

**~ _Cheshire Carroll_**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

 

**_England, Tinworth: Shell Cottage_ **

_Harry slept badly that night. Lying awake in the early hours, he thought back to the way he had felt the night before they had infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and remembered a determination, almost an excitement. Now he was experiencing jolts of anxiety nagging doubts: He could not shake off the fear that it was all going to go wrong. He kept telling himself that their plan was good, that Griphook knew what they were facing, that they were well-prepared for all the difficulties they were likely to encounter, yet still he felt uneasy. Once or twice he heard Ron stir and was sure that he too was awake, but they were sharing the sitting room with Dean, so Harry did not speak._

_It was a relief when six o-clock arrived and they could slip out of their sleeping bags, dress in the semidarkness, then creep out into the garden, where they were to meet Hermione and Griphook. The dawn was chilly, but there was little wind now that it was May. Harry looked up at the stars still glimmering palely in the dark sky and listened to the sea washing backward and forward against the cliff: He was going to miss the sound._

_Small green shoots were forcing their way up through the red earth of Dobby's grave now, in a year's time the mound would be covered in flowers. The white stone that bore the elf's name had already acquired a weathered look. He realized now that they could hardly have laid Dobby to rest in a more beautiful place, but Harry ached with sadness to think of leaving him behind. Looking down on the grave, he wondered yet again how the elf had known where to come to rescue them. His fingers moved absentmindedly to the little pouch still strung around his neck, thorough which he could feel the jagged mirror fragment in which he had been sure he had seen Dumbledore's eye. Then the sound of a door opening made him look around._

_Bellatrix Lestrange was striding across the lawn toward them, accompanied by Griphook. As she walked, she was tucking the small, beaded bag into the inside pocket of another set of the old robes they had taken from Grimmauld Place. Though Harry knew perfectly well that it was really Hermione, he could not suppress a shiver of loathing. She was taller than he was, her long black hair rippling down her back, her heavily lidded eyes disdainful as they rested upon him; but then she spoke, and he heard Hermione through Bellatrix's low voice._

_"She tasted disgusting, worse than Gurdyroots! Okay, Ron, come here so I can do you..."_

_"Right, but remember, I don't like the beard too long"_

_"Oh, for heaven's sake, this isn't about looking handsome"_

_"It's not that, it gets in the way! But I liked my nose a bit shorter, try and do it the way you did last time."_

_Hermione sighed and set to work, muttering under her breath as she transformed various aspects of Ron's appearance. He was to be given a completely fake identity, and they were trusting to the malevolent aura cast by Bellatrix to protect him. Meanwhile Harry and Griphook were to be concealed under the Invisibility Cloak._

_"There," said Hermione, "how does he look, Harry?"_

_It was just possible to discern Ron under his disguise, but only, Harry thought, because he knew him so well. Ron's hair was now long and wavy; he had a thick brown beard and mustache, no freckles, a short, broad nose, and heavy eyebrows._

_"Well, he's not my type, but he'll do," said Harry. "Shall we go, then?"_

_All three of them glanced back at Shell Cottage, lying dark and silent under the fading stars, then turned and began to walk toward the point, just beyond the boundary wall, where the Fidelius Chard stopped working and they would be able to Disapparate. Once past the gate, Griphook spoke._

_"I should climb up now, Harry Potter, I think?"_

_Harry bent down and the goblin clambered onto his back, his hands linked on front of Harry's throat. He was not heavy, but Harry disliked the feeling of the goblin and the surprising strength with which he clung on. Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of the beaded bag and threw it over them both._

_"Perfect," she said, bending down to check Harry's feet. "I can't see a thing. Let's go."_

_Harry turned on the spot, with Griphook on his shoulders, concentrating with all his might on the Leaky Cauldron, the inn that was the entrance to Diagon Alley._

-

-

"You're dead. Again!" ordered Yin, and I ducked, the bolt of light flying over me. He flung several faster paced spells at me, which I dodged by either sidestepping or twirling away. My smaller frame came in handy for some things. Speed and dexterity were two of those... though immense practice and pressure via threat of an upcoming  _death-by-Death Eater_  helped too. 

And then I moved a moment too late, and the pale light of a stinging curse hit my shoulder, making me grit my teeth in pain. I knew there would be a big, red welt left there as a nice souvenir of our practice.

It had been Katie's idea, that we ask Yin for help to practice our dueling. We rarely had the opportunity to use magic, and any aid we could get, any small piece of advice, could one day maybe even save our lives.

"You're dead," announced Yin, "again!" 

He launched the first spell again and I twisted away and cast my own back. Our volley of spells and curses lit the room in a bright array of color, and a well-timed  _reducto_  on my part blasted a chair into Yin's legs, setting him to stumble long enough for me to shout, " _EXPELLIARMUS_!" Yin's wand flew across the room, into my hand, and I stood there, stunned, as I realized I'd just beaten him for the first time. 

"Excellent job," Yin said, satisfied. He crossed the room, with only a bit of a limp, and I handed him back his wand. "You did very well." He said, approvingly, and I smiled at him.

"Thanks Yin." 

"When the time comes, and we both know it will, remember this Bella," Yin said, suddenly gravely serious, "you have reasonable skill at dueling, but you will be fighting against fully-trained, battle-experienced adults, who have no scruples towards killing half-trained students. They will be fighters, warriors. Evade whenever you can, and forget about honor, because they certainly will- use your brain; that's how you'll defeat them. Come at them from behind, and from the sides- never head-on if you can help it. There is no shame in running away, at any point. Facing them on even ground will end in your incapacitation, and your death. Do you understand?"

"Out think them, don't out duel them." I say, and he nods approvingly. 

"Exactly."

-

Luna and I apparated back to Charlie's house, into the living room. Charlie startled when he saw us, hand automatically going to his gun, before he relaxed his arm, sighing rolling his eyes at us. "You take years off my life every time you do that." He grumbled, and I give him an apologetic look before heading to the stairs.

"My entire body feels like a bruise." I complain to Luna, as I make my way up the steps, wincing with each movement. Entering my room, I pull off my jersey to examine the newly-forming bruises on my arms. There's an especially impressive red mark from the stinging curse on my shoulder that has me cursing Yin under my breath. 

Tossing my sweaty clothes into the hamper, I decide it's probably time to put a load on and turn to Luna. Cyrrently dressed in a sarong with a Scandinavian sweater over it, and a limp noodle in her hair, despite our grueling training session she didn't look as sweaty and disheveled as I felt. 

"Anything you need me to wash?" I ask her anyway as I started to strip our bed of the sheets, then paused and frowned as I noticed that my pillow was missing. Confused, I turned in a circle, scanning the room. No pillow. And now that I was taking a moment, I realized that my room looked oddly tidy- hadn't my knitted Weasley jumper been draped over the low bedpost on the footboard? And I could have sworn there had been a pair of dirty socks behind the rocking chair, along with the red blouse I'd tried on two mornings ago, but decided was too dressy for school, hanging over the arm... I turned back to the hamper and frowned harder around again- the hamper wasn't empty, but it wasn't overflowing, the way I thought it had been.

Was Charlie doing laundry? I wondered, doubtfully. It would be something rather out of character for him. 

"Dad, did you start the wash?" I asked him anyway, shouting out from my door.

"Um, no," he shouted back, sounding guilty. "Did you want me to?"

"No, I got it. Um, were you looking for something in my room?"

"No. Why?" He sounded genuinely puzzled which just made me feel even more confused too b

"I can't find... stuff..."

"I haven't been in there."

I ducked into Charlie's room, stripping his bed and checking his hamper- no knitted jumper, no red shirt, and no pillow. 

With a sinking feeling in my stomach, a sensation that something just wasn't right, I dug through my hamper, looking for my stuff. None of it was there. I dug through the entire pile and still couldn't find any of it. I knew I was probably getting paranoid, but it wasn't like I'd just misplaced a shirt or a pair of socks- I didn't even have half a load of washing. 

"Luna?" I looked up at my best friend who was frowning at the wall like it had done something to greatly upset her. 

"Shh," she said absently, not even looking at me, completely distracted by something only she could see and hear, "I must consult the fligby flutterloos that float ever-so-lightly on the sprightly breeze." Deciding this is Luna-talk for she's asking her invisible creatures something, I worried my bottom lip between my teeth as I carried the hamper downstairs. The washing machine was empty. I checked the dryer too, just in case. Nothing. I frowned, mystified. 

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Charlie yelled.

"Not yet."

I went back upstairs to search under my bed. Nothing but dust bunnies. I started to dig through my dresser. Maybe I'd put the red shirt away and forgotten.

I gave up when the doorbell rang, but when I pulled it open, a big smile on my face, I instantly froze.

Edward's golden eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, his lips pulled back over his teeth.

"Edward?" My voice was sharp with shock as I read his expression. "What-?"

He shook his head, and I stopped talking. "Give me two seconds," he said, voice tight with stress. "Don't move."

I stood frozen on the doorstep and he...  _disappeared_. He moved so quickly that Charlie wouldn't even have seen him pass.

Before I could compose myself enough to count to two, he was back. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me swiftly toward the kitchen. His eyes darted around the room, and he held me against his body as if he were shielding me from something. 

"Someone's been here," he murmured in my ear after he pulled me to the back of the kitchen. His voice was strained; it was difficult to hear him over the thumping of the washing machine. "One of us."

His tone made it clear that he didn't mean a member of his family.

I felt the blood empty from my face. A vampire had been in my house with my  _defenseless human father_. 

"Victoria?" I choked, horrified at the thought of her having been so close. 

"It's not a scent I recognize." Edward says grimly. 

"One of the Volturi," I guessed, hands clenched into fists.

"Probably."

"When?"

"That's why I think it must have been them- it wasn't long ago, early this morning while Charlie was sleeping. And whoever it was didn't touch him, so there must have been another purpose."

"Looking for me." I said, in realisation. 

Edward didn't answer. His body was frozen, a statue.

"Your pillow." Luna spoke up softly, as she wafted into the room. Her face looked tight, and she was holding a rolled up newspaper in a white-knuckled grip. "Your sweater. The shirt. All things you've worn, touched, slept on..."

Edward's face turned even more strained. "Things with your scent." He realised, out loud, a mixture of realisation and horror present on his inhumanly beautiful features. 

"My visitor," I felt queasy even thinking about it. "He was gathering traces, wasn't he- why? To prove he'd found me?"

"Let's go," Edward said in a low hard voice.

"But Charlie!" The fear building up inside me was squeezing my chest, making it hard to breathe as I realised just how close I'd come to losing my father today. 

Edward hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then his phone was in his hand.

"Emmett," he muttered into the receiver. He began talking so fast that I couldn't understand the words. It was over in half a minute, and he was sliding his phone back into his pocket. "Emmett and Jasper are on their way." He assured me. "They'll sweep the woods. Charlie is fine. Can you apparate us back to the house?"

Hesitating, glancing in the direction of the living room where I could hear the sound of a game playing on the TV, I nodded reluctantly at Edward. "Okay." I told him, reaching out to snag both one of his hands and one of Luna's, then twisting on the spot. 

We arrived in the Cullen's living room where Rosalie instantly swooped down on Luna, hovering, looking as though she was reassuring herself my best friend is in one piece. One of her hands carefully plucked the noodle from Luna's dirty blond hair. 

The other vampires in the room were standing still as statues, all in various poses of stress. 

"What happened?" Edward demanded, and I was shocked to see that he was glowering at Alice, his hands fisted in anger.

Alice stood with her arms folded tight across her chest. Only her lips moved. "I have no idea. I didn't see anything."

"How is that possible?" he hissed.

" _Edward_ ," I said, my voice sharp. I didn't like him talking to Alice this way.

Carlisle interrupted in a calming voice. "It's not an exact science, Edward."

"He was in her room, Alice. He could have still been there- waiting for her."

"I would have seen that."

Edward threw his hands up in exasperation. "Really? You're sure?"

Alice's voice was cold when she answered him. "You've already got me watching the Volturi's decisions, watching for Victoria's return, watching Bella's every step. You want to add another? Do I just have to watch Charlie, or Bella's room, or the house, or the whole street, too? Edward, if I try to do too much, things are going to start slipping through the cracks."

"It looks like they already are," Edward snapped.

"She was never in any danger. There was nothing to see."

"If you're watching Italy, why didn't you see them send-"

"I don't think it's them," Alice insisted. "I would have seen that."

"Who else would leave Charlie alive?"

I shuddered.

"I don't know," Alice said.

"Helpful."

"Stop it, Edward," I said, my voice sharp and firm. "That's enough."

He turned on me, his face still livid, his teeth clenched together. He glared at me for half a second, and then, suddenly, he exhaled. His eyes widened and his jaw relaxed.

"You're right, Bella. I'm sorry." He looked at Alice. "Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable."

"I understand," Alice assured him. "I'm not happy about it, either."

Edward took a deep breath. "Okay, let's look at this logically. What are the possibilities?"

Everyone seemed to thaw out at once. Alice relaxed and leaned against the back of the couch. Carlisle walked slowly toward her, his eyes far away. Esme sat on the sofa in front of Alice, curling her legs up on the seat. 

"Victoria?" Carlisle asked.

Edward shook his head. "No. I didn't know the scent. He might have been from the Volturi, someone I've never met..."

Alice shook her head. "Aro hasn't asked anyone to look for her yet. I will see that. I'm waiting for it."

Edward's head snapped up. "You're watching for an official command."

"You think someone's acting on their own? Why?"

"Caius's idea," Edward suggested, his face tightening again.

"Or Jane's," Alice said. "They both have the resources to send an unfamiliar face..."

Edward scowled. "And the motivation."

"It doesn't make sense, though," Esme said. "If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen that. He- or she- had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie, for that matter."

I cringed at my father's name.

"But what was the point then?" Carlisle mused.

"Checking to see if I'm still in Forks?" I suggested. 

"Possible," Carlisle said.

Edward's expression turned discouraged, and a moment later Emmett burst through the kitchen door, Jasper right behind him.

"Long gone, hours ago," Jasper said, calmly. "The trail went East, then South, and disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting."

"Which is bad luck," Emmett grumbled. "If he'd gone west... well, it would be nice for those dogs to make themselves useful."

I glared, but Emmett looked unapologetic. Jasper looked at Carlisle. "Neither of us recognized him. But here." He held out something green and crumpled. Carlisle took it from him and held it to his face. I saw, as it exchanged hands, that it was a broken fern frond. "Maybe you know the scent?"

"No," Carlisle said, expression discouraged. "Not familiar. No one I've ever met."

That's when Luna unfurled the newspaper she was still holding, placing it down on the smooth floorboards, then lowering herself so she was sitting on the ground in front of it, cross-legged.

The headline of the Seattle Times read:  _"Murder Epidemic Continues- Police Have No New Leads."_

"Luna?" I asked, confused.

"The Nargles are very strong around this." She says, and her silver eyes are grave as they look at me, then they turn to Jasper, with an unnerving, unerring focus. "They are also very strong on you,  _Major_."

Jasper stiffens, turning to a statue. Beside me, Edward inhales sharply. 

"Oh," he said sharply, turning his head slightly to look at Jasper. "I didn't think of that. I see. You're right, that has to be it. Well, that changes everything." The room, even gentle Esme, looked annoyed by their vagueness, but Jasper didn't respond to any of their looks, instead his golden eyes turned to... me.

"What do you know about me, Bella?" he asked, quietly. I frowned slightly. 

"I know that you're from the South, and that you're Alice's mate." I said, honestly.

"What do you know about the South and it's history, related to vampires?" He presser and I thought back to History of Magic, straining to remember anything other then all the fighting between wizards and goblins. 

"Something about... a war, I think?" I said, hesitantly. 

"There are places in this world that are more desirable to us than others. Places where we can feed more, and still avoid detection," Jasper explained, his voice acquiring the same sort of lecture-tone as my professors and teachers alike, "the North is very civilized. Mostly we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly." He sighed, heavily.

"It's a different world in the south. The immortals only come out at night. They spend the day plotting the next move, or anticipating their enemy's. Because it has been war in the south, constant war for centuries, with never one moment of truce, the covens there barely note the existence of humans, except as soldiers might notice a herd of cows by the wayside- food for the taking. They only hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi.

"Over the centuries different tactics were thought up for fighting for control of the desired land, some more successful then others. The person who thought up the most successful tactic of all was a young vampire named Benito. He created an army of newborn vampires. He was the first to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be reasoned with, but ten, fifteen together are a nightmare. They'll turn on each other as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated took more then half his force down before they lost. Newborns are dangerous, but they are possible to defeat if you know what you are doing. To put it simply, they have enormous strength, but they aren't skilled fighters. I was Turned by a vampire named Maria to be a member of the army she was creating.

"When I was first Turned there were six of us, later more were added. We were all male- Maria wanted soldiers. I was always quicker then the others, better at combat. Maria was pleased with me, and rewarded me more often, which made me stronger. She was a good judge of character, and decided to put me in charge of the others. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty." He paused there. "I won't go into great detail, but the other newborns and I helped Maria reclaim her territory and later claimed dominance over others." He then sighed again. 

"Overtime, the pain and cruelty of such existence depressed me to no end. Decades later, I ended up befriending a newborn named Peter, whom I managed to persuade Maria to keep past his first few years, claiming it was because of his advanced combat skills, but really more for his kindred spirit. Peter was... civilized, in a way. He didn't enjoy the fight, though he was good at it. It was during the purge time, the time where all the unnecessary newborns who had reached the year mark where their immense strength started to fade, that I learnt about Charlotte. She was a newborn who I was supposed to kill, but instead he yelled at her to run, and he ran after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn't. I felt... lifted, I suppose, by the love Peter and Charlotte felt for each other. They had mated, you see, and kept it a secret as Maria didn't allow for mated pairs in her army.

"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. In five years they'd never had a fight, though they'd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem. In one conversation, he had me convinced. And I returned with him to where he had been staying with Charlotte."

"I remember now." I said, softly. Because while Binns had certainly focused mainly on goblins and giants, he had covered the bloody history (pun intended) of vampires too; the power struggles of the Romanians, the Egyptians and the self-named Volturi, the vampire hunting as sport Middle Age and the endless warring of the Southern American covens. 

"An army," Alice whispered, her perfect face horrified. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The others were intent again, their eyes locked on Jasper's face.

"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from.

"But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let this go on so long." Jasper said, grimly. 

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked.

"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon." Jasper's face had turned hard and knowing his story now, I could guess how this evaluation must disturb him. "I can teach you how. It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out."

"Maybe we won't have to." Edward's voice was a mixture of angered and resigned. "Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is... us?"

Jasper's eyes narrowed; Carlisle's widened, shocked. My heart started to beat so loudly in my chest it was almost embarrassing. 

"Tanya's family is also near," Esme said slowly, unwilling to accept Edward's words.

"The newborns aren't ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that we are the targets." Edward said, quiet and resigned. 

"They're not coming after us," Alice insisted, and then paused. "Or... they don't know that they are. Not yet."

"What is that?" Edward watched her carefully, both curious and tense. "What are you remembering?"

"Flickers," Alice said, visibly frustrated. "I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view..."

"Indecision?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

"I don't know..."

"Not indecision," Edward growled. "Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision."

"I still don't understand how this is related to my visitor." I said, frustrated and anxious and very unhappy about Charlie being left unprotected. 

"Don't you see?" Luna speaks up, her voice soft, soothing almost as she meets my anxious eyes with calm silver. "It's the same. It's both the same. The vampire who stole your scent, and the vampires in Seattle. They're together." 

Jasper looked at her sharply. "What makes you think that?" He demanded. 

"Someone is using the holes in Alice's vision to keep her from seeing the newborns," Luna explained while I looked at her with no small amount of horror. "And the thief was careful to make no contact that she could see. He knew the holes in her vision, and he was using them too. And what are the odds that two different people not only know enough about you to do that, but also decided to do it at exactly the same time? No," she murmured, thin fingers tugging on the ends of her straggly hair. "It's one vampire. The same one. The one who is making the army is the one who stole Bella's scent."

"You're right," Edward said in a hollow tone. "Of course you're right. And when you put it that way..."

"It was a test, to see if it would work." Jasper said grimly. "A test for if he could get in and out safely as long as he didn't do anything Alice would be watching out for. Like trying to kill Bella. And he didn't take her things to prove he'd found her. He stole her scent so that others could find her." 

Edward let out a truly frightening snarl. His face was white, pure white, and his eyes were huge, wide with panic, dazed and horrified.

"There's a final link," Rosalie spoke up for the first time. Her beautiful face was strained, and her golden eyes kept darting between Luna and Emmett, as if she was trying to decide which one she wanted to scoop up into her arms and hide away from the oncoming army more. "Victoria."

"You think she created the army?" Jasper asked, sharply.

"She was in Texas. Edward tracked her there, when we left Forks."

"No," Edward shook his head; tense, afraid. "I think it's more likely to be the Volturi. Aro is far too interested in Alice, he must have an idea of how her visions work."

"Aro might have guessed, but wouldn't it make more sense that Tanya and Irina and the rest of your friends in Denali know about her visions? Laurent stayed with them, remember- he told me so in the meadow. And if he was still friendly enough with Victoria to be doing favors for her, why wouldn't he also tell her everything he knew?" I argued. I could see where Rosalie was coming from, and what she was saying made a horrific amount of sense.

"It's too sloppy to be the Volturi," Jasper agreed, "Whoever's doing this, they have no idea what they're doing. A first timer. The Volturi are not involved, but they will be."

"It could be favor," Alice suggested. "Someone in the South... someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance- if they take care of this one small problem... That would explain the Volturi's sluggish response."  

Jasper looked doubtful, and I agreed with him. 

"It could be either," Carlisle said, grimly. "Regardless, we'll have to be prepared. We're going to have to practice how to fight. We'll need you to teach us, Jasper. How to destroy them." Carlisle's jaw was hard, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words. No one hated violence more than Carlisle.

I felt sick. There was already one life-threatening fight approaching my future, I really didn't fancy a second. And at least I'd had the assurance that Edward, that my beloved vampire family, wouldn't be involved in my fight. 

This one... this one they were right in the center of. 

"This isn't good," Jasper said, his jaw as hard as Carlisle's. "It's too even a fight. We'd have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We'd win, but at what price?" His tense eyes flashed to Alice's face and away.

I wanted to cry as I grasped what Jasper meant.

We would win, but we would lose. Some wouldn't survive.

"The shifters should familiarise themselves with the new scent." Luna spoke up, voice soft but serious. Everyone turned to her.

"That's... actually not a bad idea." Jasper said, slowly. 

"Of course we're involving the wolves." I said, somewhat hysterically, anxiety and grief twisting and curling in my stomach, making me feel like I was about to throw up. "I mean, why not?" 

Edward silently produced a phone, passing it to me, and, after the slightest of hesitationsc I dialed Jacob's number with practiced ease, my fingers trembling as I did so.

"Hello?" he asked, picking up after several rings, his voice guarded. 

"Jake, it's me Luna and I've had a visitor of the vampiric variety. A stranger. Emmett and Jasper tried tracking them, but they got in a car, or something. We thought it would be a good thing for you lot to have the scent, in case they decide to come back for a second visit." I blurted out. There was a second of silence.

"I'll be right over." Jacob said, his voice tight. The line went dead.

"You didn't say anything about the army," Edward noted.

"I'd rather not do that over the phone." I snapped, my anxiety shortening my temper. "Or at all. I'm too distracted to apparate. Can we drive?" I asked, and Edward nodded.

"Of course, Bella." He said quietly.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE:**  
  


**_Unidentified location, Britain: Harry Potter_ **

_"I saw him find out about the cup- I was in his head, he's-" Harry remembered the killings. "He's seriously angry, and scared too, he can't understand how we knew, and now he's going to check the others are safe, the ring first. He things the Hogwarts one is safest, because Snape's there, because it'll be so hard not to be seen getting in. I think he'll check that one last, but he could still be there within hours!"_

_"Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?" asked Ron, now scrambling to his feet too._

_"No, he was concentrating on warning Snape, he didn't think about exactly where it is-"_

_"Wait, wait!" cried Hermione as Ron caught up to the Horcrux and Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak again. "We can't just go, we haven't got a plan, we need to-"_

_"We need to get going," said Harry firmly. He had been hoping to sleep, looking forward to getting into the new tent, but that was impossible now, "Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realizes the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?"_

_"But how are we going to get in?"_

_"We'll go to Hogsmeade," said Harry, "and try to work something out once we see what the protection around the school's like. Get under the Cloak, Hermione, I want to stick together this time."_

_"But we don't really fit-"_

_"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet."_

_The flapping of enormous wings echoed across the black water. The dragon had drunk its fill and risen into the air. They paused in their preparations to watch it climb higher and higher, now black against the rapidly darkening sky, until it vanished over a nearby mountain. Then Hermione walked forward and took her place between the other two, Harry pulled the Cloak down as far as it would go, and together they turned on the spot into the crushing darkness._

-

-

When we enter my house, Edward waits in the car. It was all very childish in my opinion. Why couldn't they both just ignore each other? Weren't we past this kind of immaturity? I don't bother to hold back my sigh, fully aware that both he and Jacob, with their enhanced hearing, will be able to hear my displeasure.

Jacob is already waiting in the house, sitting on the couch. "Charlie's at the rez," he informs me. "I got Embry to drive him over." I nod my thanks.

"Did you recognize the scent?" I ask, getting straight to the point. Jacob screws up his nose. 

"Urgh, no. And your room stinks, by the way."

"I'll buy some air-freshener then!" I narrow my eyes threateningly at him, and Jacob holds up his hands.

"Whoa, what's got you so upset?" he asks. I glare harder.

"Is it really so impossible to wear clothes?" I demand. Jacob was bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of old cut-off jeans. Jacob ran a hand through his wet hair; it was falling in his eyes.

"It's just easier," he explained.

"What's easier?"

"It's enough of a pain to carry the shorts around with me, let alone a complete outfit. What do I look like, a pack mule?" Jacob rolled his eyes.

I frowned, annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

His expression was superior, like I was missing something obvious. "My clothes don't just pop in and out of existence when I change- I have to carry them with me while I run. Pardon me for keeping my burden light."

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Animagi- that's witches and wizards who turn into animals, their clothes do 'pop in and out of existence' when they change."

Jacob looked jealous now. "Jeez, that would be handy." He pointed to a black leather cord, thin as a strand of yarn, that was wound three times below his left calf like an anklet. I hadn't noticed before that his feet were bare, too. "I've got this- it sucks to carry jeans in your mouth."

"I can't imagine picking denim out of your teeth being any fun. Or having to wear jeans soaked in wolf slobber." Jacob laughed and then grinned. 

"Why so interested in my chest, Bells? Does my being half-naked bother you girls?" He teased.

"No." I rolled my eyes, laughing. 

"Oh I quite like the view." Luna says, conversationally, and now both Jacob and I are laughing. When we stop laughing, Jacob sighs and his face turns serious.

"What's the matter, Bella, honey? I know you- you being so short-tempered before, it wasn't just you worried about Charlie, or that some vampire's been in your house. What's wrong? Is it to do with the bloodsucker in your room?"

"It's related," I admitted, with a sigh.

He processed that for a minute, leaning his head to one side while he read my face. "You know something you're not telling me... something big."

What was the point in lying again? He knew me too well. "Yep."

"Now. Explain," Jacob demanded, eyes boring into mine.

"I don't know everything." I hold my chin up, not breaking our stare-off. 

"What you do know, then." When I stayed silent, his eyes narrowed further. "I have a right to know. We have a right to know." 

"There's a group of newly created vampires, presumably bitten by Victoria, after Bella." Luna says, simply. I turn betrayed eyes at her, but her misty, silver ones just meet mine calmly, and I sigh, recognizing defeat, and turn back to Jacob.

"Is this true?" He asks, his eyes burning into mine. I can see a sickening combination of fear, fury and a bloody anticipation. 

"Yes." I admit, and I blink furiously as tears well up in my eyes. 

"Well, then we'll fight." Jacob says, determinedly. I shake my head.

"Not a fucking chance." 

"Not your fucking choice." He counters. I glare ferociously, and he meets my eyes calmly. "Are you saying your vampires can take on this group of vampires?" he challenges. I cringe, picturing tiny Alice, and kind Esme. I remember Jasper's words, and my stomach sinks. 

"You're right." I mumble. 

"Of course I am," he says, but the joke falls flat. 

"We don't know enough yet. There will be a strategy session later." I tell him, suddenly exhausted. "I honestly can't tell you anymore- I don't know anything else, none of us do." Jacob looks at me seriously. 

"It's not exactly the best timing, but tonight we're having a bonfire party," Jacob says, thoughtfully. "The whole pack'll be there. I wanted to invite you and Luna. We can keep you safe, you know we can. Nothing will be able to get past all of us. You never know, you might even have fun," he coaxes. "Take your mind off everything."

"I'll think about it." I tell him, and he nods. 

"Sure. He's waiting for me to go. I can hear him outside."

"Oh." I say.

"Bye Bells." Jacob blows me a kiss, then leaves out the backdoor. I groan, slumping against the wall.

"Could this day possibly get any worse?" I ask Luna. She blinks owlishly. 

"It's certainly a possibility." 

"Great. That's just... great."

-

"Are you gonna eat that hotdog?" Paul asked Jacob, his eyes locked on the last remnant of the huge meal the wolf-shifters had consumed.

Jacob leaned back against my knees and toyed with the hot dog he had spitted on a straightened wire hanger; the flames at the edge of the bonfire licked along its blistered skin. He heaved a sigh and patted his stomach. It was somehow still flat, though I'd lost count of how many hot dogs he'd eaten after his tenth. Not to mention the super-sized bag of chips or the two-liter bottle of root beer.

"I guess," Jake said slowly. "I'm so full I'm about to puke, but I think I can force it down. I won't enjoy it at all, though." He sighed again sadly.

Despite the fact that Paul had eaten at least as much as Jacob, he glowered and his hands balled up into fists.

"Sheesh." Jacob laughed. "Kidding, Paul. Here."

He flipped the homemade skewer across the circle. I expected it to land hot-dog-first in the sand, but Paul caught it neatly on the right end without difficulty.

Hanging out with no one but extremely dexterous people all the time was going to give me a complex.

"Thanks, man," Paul said, already over his brief fit of temper.

The fire crackled, settling lower toward the sand. Sparks blew up in a sudden puff of brilliant orange against the black sky. Funny, I hadn't noticed that the sun had set. For the first time, I wondered how late it had gotten. I'd lost track of time completely.

It was easier being with my old Quileute friends than I'd expected.

When I'd first arrived at Jacob's, I'd started to worry about showing up with him at the bonfire, wondering if the wolf-shifters would consider me a traitor now. Would they be angry with Jacob for inviting me? Would I ruin the party?

But when Jacob had towed Luna and I out of the forest to the cliff-top meeting place, to where the fire already roared brighter than the cloud-obscured sun, and it had all been very casual and light.

"Hey, witch girl!" Embry had greeted me loudly. Quil had jumped up to give me a high five and kiss me on the cheek. Emily had squeezed my hand when we'd sat on the cool stone ground beside her and Sam.

Other than a few teasing complaints - mostly by Paul - about keeping the bloodsucker stench downwind, I was treated like someone who belonged. Luna had been welcomed just as kindly by everyone in attendance, and it wasn't just kids either. Billy was here, his wheelchair stationed at what seemed the natural head of the circle. Beside him on a folding lawn chair, looking quite brittle, was Quil's ancient, white-haired grandfather, Old Quil. Sue Clearwater, widow of Charlie's friend Harry, had a chair on his other side; her two children, Leah and Seth, were also there, sitting on the ground like the rest of us. This surprised me, but all three were clearly in on the secret now. From the way Billy and Old Quil spoke to Sue, it sounded to me like she'd taken Harry's place on the council. 

The whole pack was there: Sam with his Emily, Paul, Embry, Quil, and Jared with Kim, the girl he'd imprinted upon, who was falling asleep in his lap.

"It's getting late," I murmured to Jacob.

"Don't start that yet," Jacob whispered back- though certainly half the group here had hearing sensitive enough to hear us anyway. "The best part is coming."

"What's the best part? You swallowing an entire cow whole?"

Jacob chuckled his low, throaty laugh. "No. That's the finale. We didn't meet just to eat through a week's worth of food. This is technically a council meeting. It's Quil's first time, and he hasn't heard the stories yet. Well, he's heard them, but this will be the first time he knows they're true. That tends to make a guy pay closer attention. Kim and Seth and Leah are all first-timers, too."

"Stories?"

Jacob scooted back beside me, where I rested against a low ridge of rock. He put his arm over my shoulder and spoke even lower into my ear.

"The histories we always thought were legends," he said. "The stories of how we came to be. The first is the story of the spirit warriors."

It was almost as if Jacob's soft whisper was the introduction. The atmosphere changed abruptly around the low-burning fire. Paul and Embry sat up straighter. Jared nudged Kim and then pulled her gently upright.

Emily produced a spiral-bound notebook and a pen, looking exactly like a student set for an important lecture. Sam twisted just slightly beside her- so that he was facing the same direction as Old Quil, who was on his other side- and suddenly I realized that the elders of the council here were not three, but four in number.

Leah Clearwater, her face still a beautiful and emotionless mask, closed her eyes- not like she was tired, but as if to help her concentration. Her brother leaned in toward the elders eagerly.

The fire crackled, sending another explosion of sparks glittering up against the night.

Billy cleared his throat, and, with no more introduction than his son's whisper, began telling the story in his rich, deep voice. The words poured out with precision, as if he knew them by heart, but also with feeling and a subtle rhythm. Like poetry performed by its author.

"The Quileute's have been a small people from the beginning," Billy said. "And we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting- that came later. First, we were spirit warriors."

Never before had I recognized the ring of majesty that was in Billy Black's voice, though I realized now that this authority had always been there.

It honestly took me by surprise. One moment I was leaning against Jacob, Luna snuggled at my side, feeling dozy but intrigued in front of the flickering fire, and then the coin I'd almost forgotten about burned hot in my pocket.

I jerked up into a sitting position, the same as Luna, interrupting Billy, who was starting the legend. I whipped my head around to meet her silver eyes, which were clearer then I'd ever seen them before, no trace of dreaming present. 

"Guys? What's wrong?" Jacob asked, as everyone stared at us, and I shook my head, not answering him.

"Luna..." my voice trailed off as she pulled an oh-so familiar galleon from her pocket. My hands were shaking as I pulled out my own. The gleaming gold was hot to touch, and there was a message, where there used to be numbers which told us the date of the next DA meeting.

The date now read for today's. The time now read for in one hour. 

"Shit," I whisper, and I wonder if my face is as pale as Luna's. Or maybe it's green. 

"Guys!" Jacob grabs my shoulders, spinning me around so he can shake me, gently but enough for my whole body to rattle. "What's happening? What's with the coin? What's going on, Bella?" 

A sort of calm numbness washed over me, and I stood, Luna moving beside me. The date had been set, the time had been set- the final battle was no longer haunting us with uncertainty, a looming presence, threatening in its obscurity yet inevitability. 

"I'm sorry everyone, we have to go." I said, my voice absolutely blank. Jacob stands up beside me, grabbing my hand.

"You're shaking, Bella," he accuses, "What's wrong? Is it the vampire army?"

"Vampire army?" I hear someone, Paul I think, repeat. 

"No, no, not the vampire army," I say, my voice rising as I speak, bubbles of hysteria building inside me. "The wizard one." 

"Wizard army?" Jacob prods. I yank my hand out of his.

"I- I have to go. Luna, we have to go- Hogwarts, it's time-" I say, barely able to string my sentences together. Anticipation and fear stir within me, and I can't make the world focus properly.

"Bella!" Jacob grabs my shoulders, and the gentle shaking centers me enough that the world sharpens again. His dark eyes are anxious, boring into mine intently. "Talk to me Bella. What's happening?" He repeats.

"I-" I shake my head, unable to think of anything to say. I half collapse forwards into his embrace. "If I- if I don't make it, remember that I love you, Jacob Black." I tell him, choking out the words. "You are one the most precious people in my life." I press my lips against his cheek, which burns hot, then slip out of his trembling arms, and grab Luna's hand. She apparates us both away.

-

"I need to say goodbye to Edward." 

"I know," she assures me. We're changing quickly, into clothes comfortable for running in. "He's on his way- Alice has already seen that we've left the bonfire in a hurry." I don't question how she knows this. She just does. She always will.

(If she lives).

"Okay." I pull my hair back, twisting it into a bun, out of my face, and out of the way. The medical kit from Qiang is shoved into one of the pockets of the jumper I bought from the Newton's sports store, and I lace up the hiking boots. 

When Luna and I leave my room, my whole vampire family is waiting with Charlie in the living room. Tears prick at my eyes, and Edward is holding me tight, pressing kisses on my forehead. I feel like I'm passed around, everyone giving their love, even Rosalie, who hasn't let go of Luna yet. Charlie hugs me tighter then he ever has before. When he speaks, his voice is scratchy, and his eyes are wet.

"You come back to me, Bella." 

"I will." I tell him, voice choked. Edward pulls me into his arms again, and kisses me. The kiss frightens me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine- like he was afraid he'd never see me again.

That made the two of us.

"Here," he breathes, when we part, and I feel him slip something on my left hand. 

"Edward-" I murmur, looking at the ring.

"If- if the worse happens," he cringes, and the despair, the agony in his eyes, it makes me want to be sick. "I want you to be wearing it." He whispers, finally. 

"Always." I tell him. "I love you. I love you." A final, desperate kiss, and Luna and I are apparating to Katie's.

She's got the Portkeys, ordered in Morte Alley. There are seven of them- one to take us all to Britain, and two each for us to carry that will take us back to America- emergency Portkeys. 

When we appear in her room, she's in bed with Angela. They're both fully dressed, curled in each other's arms, a movie playing on a laptop. When they look up and see us, Katie's face turns white and Angela starts crying. 

"You don't have to go," she chokes out, clinging on to Katie with an iron grip, "you don't have to go! None of you do" 

"We do, Ange. I do," Katie's voice breaks. "I have to." They embrace tightly, kissing fiercely. Angela then hugs both Luna and I in turn. 

"Don't any of you dare die on me," she threatens, pale and panicked. 

And then we all lay a finger on the Portkey, and Katie says, in a trembling voice, " _Portus_." 

Angela's room disappears in a dizzying whir.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**   
  
  


The Portkey took us to Mallaig, in Scotland. Mallaig is a port in Lochbar, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station is the terminus of the West Highland railway line, which also happens to be the train line the Hogwarts Express takes, and where the West Highland railway line ended, the hidden railway line to Hogwarts began.

Luna, having spent more time at Hogwarts then I did after the Carrows began their tyrannical rule of the castle, had warned us of the Caterwauling charm set on Hogsmeade. Our best chance, she had explained, was to Portkey somewhere close to the castle, close enough that we could apparate to the Hog's Head Inn.

I had been, and understandably in my opinion, confused by this bizarre instruction, and Luna had only smiled mysteriously, holding out her hands to Katie and I. 

When we appeared inside the Inn, I was shocked to see it teeming with members of the DA. A grumpy looking old man who I recognized as the barkeep and owner of the Inn, Aberforth, was scowling at the crowd as they all made their way towards...

"Is that a tunnel?" I asked, surprised. 

"It's the only way in and out of Hogwarts that the Carrows don't know about." Luna said, and her normally dreamy smile had more then a hint of fierce triumph in it. 

The passageway looked like it had been there forever. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth; as we walked, our shadows rippled, fanlike across the wall. When we reached the end of the passage a small flight of steps led to a door like the one we'd gone through at the Hog's Head. 

It was pushed wide open, and the room behind the passage was filled with people. It was like a dorm; enormous, and looked rather like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicolored hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from the balcony that ran around the dark wood-paneled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings. I can see the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wood-cased wireless.

All around us, people were crying and cheering, greeting everyone with hugs, hair ruffling, pounding on the back, and shaking hands. Harry, Hermione and Ron seemed to be the most highly accosted, but a shrieking Isobel pushed her way through to yank both Luna and I into a rib-crushing hug. Isobel had dragged Sue after her, and both Luna and I gave her a hug as well.

 

"You're Cathy, right?" Isobel asked once she's released us, the fiery Scottish girl smiling at Katie. Her eyes were bright, and her skin was flushed- that seemed to be a common factor across the room. The excitement and anticipation in the air was so thick it was practically tangible. "You were one of the home-schooled kids that came to Hogwarts when the new law was put in place."

"Er, it's Katie, actually. Katie Marshall." Katie smiled, looking a bit timid. 

"Katie is Angela's girlfriend, Sue." I say, and Sue perks up, smiling at Katie even as she blushes fiercely.

"Well, it's good to meet you again." Isobel says, "thank Merlin you got out of this hell-hole safe." Her words make my excitement at seeing her shrink as I take a good look at her. She's thinner then I remember, and there are purple smudges under her eyes and two scars on her left cheek. 

She sees where I'm looking and grimaces, reaching up to brush her fingers along the raised lines. "The Carrows enjoy their discipline," she spits, eyes flashing, "I got involved in an argument in Muggle Studies. It's compulsory, now, and we have to listen to that cow Alecto explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drive wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being reestablished. When Neville asked how much Muggle blood Alecto and her brother had then, I may have laughed. A majority of the class did, and there was cheering too. We were all punished."

"That's horrible," I mutter, shuddering, and then Isobel is hugging Luna again.

"We all thought you were dead," she says, and her eyes have misted up. "When they took you from the train, I think that's the angriest and most terrified I've been in my entire life." Luna gently pats Isobel's back.

"I was not seriously harmed at any point of my incarceration." She assures her. Isobel sniffs.

"We're gonna make them pay, tonight." She says, and her eyes are steely with sheer determination and promise of retribution. A shiver runs down my spine. 

"Luna! Isobel and Bella! Sue!" I turn around to a crowd of red-heads as Fred, George and Ginny Weasley climb through the hole in the wall. Ginny hurries over to us, a grin on her face, though it turns to something softer as she reaches us. "I'm glad you're all okay." She says, and then her expression crumples as she turns to face Luna. "Luna... I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you," she said, sounding miserable. "If I'd been there-"

"If you had been on the train, you would have been captured with me at best, or you'd be either imprisoned or dead." Luna says sternly. Ginny nods, her eyes suspiciously shiny. 

"Thanks Luna." She says quietly. Luna just smiles gently and touches her hand. 

Before any more conversation starts, George speaks up loudly, his question pulling the attention of the entire room. "So what's the plan, Harry?" he asks.

"There isn't one," Harry says, and he looks pale and sweaty. His famous lightningbolt scar looks red and inflamed. 

"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind." Fred says, with a grin. 

Harry falls into a hushed argument with Neville, then with Ron and Hermione, before turning to the room at large. "Okay," he says, and everyone looks up at him, alert and excited. 

"There's something we need to find," Harry said. "Something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?"

He looked hopefully towards the group of Ravenclaws in his year level, but it's Luna who answers him, speaking up beside me. 

"Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it." 

"Yeah, but the lost diadem," said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, "is lost, Luna. That's sort of the point."

"When was it lost?" asked Harry.

"Centuries ago, they say," said Cho Chang, a graduate. "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but," she turns to us Ravenclaws. "Nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?"

We all shake our heads.

"Sorry, but what is a diadem?" asked Ron.

"It's a kind of crown," said Terry Boot. "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer."

"Yes, Daddy's Wrackspurt siphons-" Luna begins to say, but Harry cuts across.

"And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?"

They all shook their heads again. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, and I could see their disappointment. Cho Chang then spoke again.

"If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like, I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry. Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue."

Harry winced, turned and muttered something to Ron and Hermione, then back to Cho Chang. Cho had got to her feet, but Ginny said rather fiercely, "No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?"

"Oooh, yes, I'd like to," said Luna happily, as Cho sat down again, looking disappointed. My heart nearly stopped for a moment at the thought of being separated from her, but she reached out to grasp my hand, her fingers curling in mine, a clear indication that she wasn't going to leave me behind. Nobody complained as she tugged me after her as she made her way up to where Harry was.

"How do we get out?" Harry asked Neville.

"Over here."

Neville led the three of us to a corner, where a small cupboard opened onto a steep staircase. "It comes out somewhere different every day, so they've never been able to find it," he said. "Only trouble is, we never know exactly where we're going to end up when we go out. Be careful, Harry, they're always patrolling the corridors at night."

"No problem," said Harry. "See you in a bit."

We all hurried up the staircase, which was long, lit by torches, and turned corners in unexpected places. At last we reached what appeared to be solid wall.

"Get under here," Harry said, pulling out the Invisibility Cloak and throwing it over us all. Our feet were sticking out slightly, but in the dark it wasn't too noticeable. 

Harry gave the wall a little push and it melted away at his touch. When we slipped outside, I glanced back and saw that it had resealed itself. We were standing in a dark corridor, and Harry pulled both Luna and I back into the shadows, fumbling in the pouch around his neck, and taking out what I recognized from the DA meetings as the Marauder's Map. Holding it close to his nose he searched, and appeared to finally locate our dots.

"We're up on the fifth floor," he whispered. "Come on, this way."

We crept off.

I had never felt this terrified while creeping through the castle at night. My heart pounded, and I felt like I was one shock away from hyperventilation. 

"This way, Harry," breathed Luna, plucking at Harry's sleeve and pulling him towards a devastatingly familiar spiral staircase.

We climbed in tight, dizzying circles and at last we reached the door I recognized so well- a plain expanse of aged wood, with a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. 

Luna reached out a pale hand, which looked eerie floating in midair, unconnected to arm or body. She knocked once, and in the silence it sounded to me like a cannon blast. By Harry's winced, I imagined he felt the same. The beak of the eagle opened and a familiar soft, musical voice said, "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

"It's a circle," I say, hurriedly, "and a circle has no beginning."

"Well said," said the eagle, and the door swung open.

The deserted Ravenclaw common room made me want to cry. It looked exactly how I remembered; a wide, circular room, graceful arched windows that punctuated walls hung with blue-and-bronze silks, a domed ceiling painted with stars, echoed in the midnight-blue carpet under our feet, a scattering of tables, chairs, and bookcases and, in a niche opposite the door, a tall statue of white marble. Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of my House.

Harry stepped out from under the Cloak and climbed up onto Ravenclaw's plinth to read the words etched onto the diadem. "'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'"

"Which makes you pretty skint, witless," said a cackling voice I recognized.

We all spun around, Harry slipping off the plinth and landing on the floor. The sloping-shouldered figure of Alecto Carrow was standing before us, and even as we raised our wands, she pressed a stubby forefinger to the skull and snake branded on her forearm.

Luna was first to cast the spell, sending Alecto falling forward, hitting the ground so hard that the glass tinkled. "I've never Stunned anyone except in our D.A. lessons," she said, sounding mildly interested. "That was noisier than I though it would be."

And sure enough, the ceiling had begun to tremble. Scurrying, echoing footsteps were growing louder from behind the door leading to the dormitories. Luna's spell had woken Ravenclaws sleeping above.

"Luna, Bella, where are you? I need to get under the Cloak!" Harry said, hurriedly, and Luna tugged up the cloak so our feet were visible. Harry had barely ducked back under as the door opened and a stream of Ravenclaws, all in their nightclothes, flooded into the common room. There were gasps and cries of surprise as they saw Alecto lying there unconscious. Slowly they shuffled in around her, a savage beast that might wake at any moment and attack them. Then one brave little first-year darted up to her and prodded her backside with his big toe. 

"I think she might be dead!" he shouted with delight.

"Oh look," whispered Luna happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded in around Alecto. "They're pleased!"

"Yeah... great..." Harry said. 

There was a rap on the common room door and every Ravenclaw froze. From the other side, Harry heard the soft, musical voice that issued from the eagle door knocker: "Where do Vanished objects go?"

"I dunno, do I? Shut it!" snarled an uncouth voice that I recognized of Amycus Carrow. "Alecto? Alecto? Are you there? Have you got him? Open the door!"

The Ravenclaws were whispering amongst themselves, terrified. Then without warning, there came a series of loud bangs, as though somebody was firing a gun into the door.

"ALECTO! If he comes, and we haven't got Potter- d'you want to go the same way as the Malfoys? ANSWER ME!" Amycus bellowed, shaking the door for all he was worth, but still it did not open. The Ravenclaws were all backing away, and some of the most frightened began scampering back up the staircase to their beds. Then a most familiar voice rang out beyond the door.

"May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?"

"Trying- to get- through this damned- door!" shouted Amycus. "Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it, now!"

"But isn't your sister in there" asked Professor McGonagall. "Didn't Professor Flitwick let her in earlier this evening, at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door for you? Then you needn't wake up half the castle."

"She ain't answering, you old besom! You open it! Darn! Do it, now!"

"Certainly, if you wish it," said Professor McGonagall, with awful coldness. There was a genteel tap of the knocker and the musical voice asked again.

"Where do Vanished objects go?"

"Into non being, which is to say, everything," replied Professor McGonagall.

"Nicely phrased," replied the eagle door knocker, and the door swung open.

The few Ravenclaws who had remained behind sprinted for the stairs as Amycus burst over the threshold, brandishing his wand. Hunched like his sister, he had a pallid, doughy face and tiny eyes, which fell at once on Alecto, sprawled motionless on the floor. He let out a yell of fury and fear.

"What've they done, the little whelps?" he screamed. "I'll Cruciate the lot of 'em till they tell me who did it- and what's the Dark Lord going to say?" he shrieked, standing over his sister and smacking himself on the forehead with his fist, "We haven't got him, and they've gone and killed her!"

"She's only Stunned," said Professor McGonagall impatiently, who had stooped down to examine Alecto. "She'll be perfectly all right."

"No she bludgering well won't!" bellowed Amycus. "Not after the Dark Lord gets hold of her! She's gone and sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've got Potter!"

"'Got Potter'?" said Professor McGonagall sharply, "What do you mean, 'got Potter'?"

"He told us Potter might try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him if we caught him!"

"Why would Harry Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw Tower! Potter belongs in my House!"

"We was told he might come in here!" said Carrow. "I dunno why, do I?"

Professor McGonagall stood up and her beady eyes swept the room. Twice they passed right over the place where we stood, huddled under the cloak.

"We can push it off on the kids," said Amycus, his pig-like face suddenly crafty, and I felt sick. "Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up there," he looked up at the starry ceiling toward the dormitories, "and we'll say they forced her to press her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm.... He can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?" I was about to throw up I felt so nauseated, and the Head of Gryffindor had turned pale.

"Only the difference between truth and lie, courage and cowardice," said Professor McGonagall, "a difference, in short, which you and your sister seem unable to appreciate. But let me make one thing very clear. You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."

"Excuse me?"

Amycus moved forward until he was offensively close to Professor McGonagall, his face within inches of hers. She refused to back away, but looked down at him as if he were something disgusting she had found stuck to the toilet seat.

"It's not a case of what you'll permit, Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me up or you'll pay the price."

And he spat in her face.

Harry's reaction stunned me. He pulled the Cloak off, raised his wand, and said, "You shouldn't have done that."

As Amycus spun around, Harry shouted, " _Crucio_!"

The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor. "I see what Bellatrix meant," said Harry, and I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the cold fury in his voice, "you need to really mean it."

"Potter!" whispered Professor McGonagall, clutching her heart. "Potter- you're here! What-? How-?" She struggled to pull herself together. "Potter, that was foolish!"

"He spat at you," said Harry.

"Potter, I- that was very- gallant of you- but don't you realize-?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry assured her. "Professor McGonagall, Voldemort's on the way." 

"Oh, are we allowed to say the name now?" asked Luna with an air of interest, pulling off the Invisibility Cloak off us. The appearance of two more outlaws seemed to overwhelm Professor McGonagall, who staggered backward and fell into a nearby chair, clutching at the neck of her old tartan dressing gown.

"I don't think it makes any difference what we call him," Harry told Luna. "He already knows where I am."

"You must flee," whispered Professor McGonagall, "Now Potter, as quickly as you can!"

"I can't," said Harry, "There's something I need to do. Professor, so you know where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?"

"The d-diadem of Ravenclaw? Of course not- hasn't it been lost for centuries?" She sat up a little straighter "Potter, it was madness, utter madness, for you to enter this castle-"

"I had to," said Harry. "Professor, there's something hidden here that I'm supposed to find, and it could be the diadem- if I could just speak to Professor Flitwick-"

There was a sound of movement, of clinking glass. Amycus was coming round. Before Harry or Luna could act, Professor McGonagall rose to her feet, pointed her wand at the groggy Death Eater, and said, " _Imperio_."

Amycus got up, walked over to his sister, picked up her wand, then shuffled obediently to Professor McGonagall and handed it over along with his own. Then he lay down on the floor beside Alecto. Professor McGonagall waved her wand again, and a length of shimmering silver rope appeared out of thin air and snaked around the Carrows, binding them tightly together.

"Potter," said Professor McGonagall, turning to face Harry again with superb indifference to the Carrows' predicament. "If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named does indeed know that you are here-"

Harry lurched, grabbing Luna's shoulder, face twisted in pain. 

"Potter, are you all right." McGonagall demanded, and Harry seemed to come back. 

"Time's running out, Voldemort's getting nearer, Professor, I'm acting on Dumbledore's orders, I must find what he wanted me to find! But we've got to get the students out while I'm searching the castle- it's me Voldemort wants, but he won't care about killing a few more or less, not now-" Harry didn't finish his sentence out loud. 

"You're acting on Dumbledore's orders?" McGonagall repeated with a look of dawning wonder. Then she drew herself up to her fullest height.

"Then we shall secure the school against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named while you search for this- this object."

A thrill raced through me, unbidden. I was terrified and I felt sick, but I wasn't shaking from fear- I was shaking from excitement. This was it. Voldemort was approaching. The school was going into lock-down against him. The battle, the revolution, had officially started.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN:**

 

Professor McGonagall and Harry had started hurriedly making plans to evacuate the students, McGonagall then binding the Carrows and sending three sleek, silver patronuses bounding off ahead.

I was holding Luna's hand tight as McGonagall lead us all, Harry, Luna and I still under the Invisibility Cloak, through the school. We'd descended two floors before we came face-to-face with our first Death Eater of the night. 

Headmaster Snape stepped out from behind a suit of armor, and I shuddered at the sight of him, at the sight of his black eyes, with their dead, cold look. 

"Where are the Carrows?" he asked quietly.

"Wherever you told them to be, I expect, Severus," said Professor McGonagall.

Snape stepped nearer, and his eyes flitted over Professor McGonagall into the air around her, as if he knew that we were there. Beside me, I felt Harry raise his wand up too, ready to attack. I follow his example, lifting my own wand. 

"I was under the impression," said Snape, "That Alecto had apprehended an intruder."

"Really?" said Professor McGonagall. "And what gave you that impression?"

Snape made a slight flexing movement of his left arm.

"Oh, but naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "You Death Eaters have your own private means of communication, I forgot."

Snape pretended not to have heard her. His eyes were still probing the air all about her, and he was moving gradually closer, with an air of hardly noticing what he was doing.

"I did not know that it was your night to patrol the corridors Minerva."

"You have some objection?"

"I wonder what could have brought you out of our bed at this late hour?"

"I thought I heard a disturbance," said Professor McGonagall.

"Really? But all seems calm."

Snape looked into her eyes.

"Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have. I must insist-"

Professor McGonagall moved faster than I could have believed. Her wand slashed through the air and for a split second I thought that Snape must crumple, unconscious, but the swiftness of his Shield Charm was such that McGonagall was thrown off balance. She brandished her wand at a touch on the wall and it flew out of its bracket. Harry yanked Luna and I out of the way of the descending flames.

The flames became a ring of fire that filled the corridor and flew like a lasso at Snape. Then it was no longer fire, but a great black serpent that McGonagall blasted to smoke, which re-formed and solidified in seconds to become a swarm of pursuing daggers. Snape avoided them only by forcing the suit of armor in front of him, and with echoing clangs the daggers sank, one after another, into its breast.

"Minerva!" said a squeaky voice, and despite still being shielded by Harry, who was blocking Luna and I with his body, I was able to look around him at the approaching professors. Professors Flitwick and Sprout were sprinting up the corridor toward them in their nightclothes, with the enormous Professor Slughorn panting along at the rear.

"No!" squealed Flitwick, raising his wand at Snape. "You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!"

Flitwick's spell hit the suit of armor behind which Snape had taken shelter. With a clatter it came to life. Snape struggled free of the crushing arms and sent it flying back toward his attackers. Luna, Harry and I had to dive sideways to avoid it as it smashed into the wall and shattered. When I looked up again, Snape was in full flight, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout all thundering after him. He hurtled through a classroom door and, moments later, I heard McGonagall cry, "Coward! COWARD!"

"What's happened, what's happened?" asked Luna.

Harry dragged Luna to her feet, his other hand reaching out to grab me, yanking me up too, and then we raced along the corridor, trailing the Invisibility Cloak behind us, into the deserted classroom where Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout were standing at a smashed window.

"He jumped," said Professor McGonagall as we ran into the room.

"You mean he's dead?" Harry sprinted to the window, appearing to completely disregard Flitwick's and Sprout's yells of shock at his sudden appearance.

"No, he's not dead," said McGonagall bitterly. "Unlike Dumbledore, he was still carrying a wand... and he seems to have learned a few tricks from his master."

I shuddered violently as, looking out the window, I spotted a huge, bat like shape flying through the darkness in the distance toward the perimeter wall.

There were heavy footfalls behind them, and a great deal of puffing. Slughorn had just caught up to us.

"Harry!" he panted, massaging his immense chest beneath his emerald-green silk pajamas. He completely ignored Luna and I, instead focusing on Harry. "My dear boy... what a surprise... Minerva, do please explain... Severus... what...?"

"Our headmaster is taking a short break," said Professor McGonagall, pointing at the Snape-shaped hole in the window.

"Professor!" Harry shouted his hand on his forehead, "Professor, we've got to barricade the school, he's coming now!"

"Very well. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is coming," McGonagall told the other teachers. Sprout and Flitwick gasped. Slughorn let out a low groan. "Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore's orders. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable while Potter does what he needs to do."

"You realize, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You-Know-Who indefinitely?" squeaked Flitwick.

"But we can hold him up." said Professor Sprout.

"Thank you, Pomona," said Professor McGonagall, and between the two witches there passed a look of grim understanding. 

"I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight, I think they ought to be given the chance."

"Agreed," said Professor Sprout, already hurrying toward the door. "I shall meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes with my House."

And as she jogged out of sight, they could hear her muttering, "Tentacula, Devil's Snare. And Snargaluff pods... yes, I'd like to see the Death Eaters fighting those."

"I can act from here," said Flitwick, and although he could barely see out of it, he pointed his wand through the smashed window and started muttering incantations of great complexity. I could hear a weird rushing noise, as though Flitwick had unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds.

"Professor," Harry approached the little Charms master. "Professor, I'm sorry to interrupt, but this is important. Have you got any idea where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?"

" _Protego Horribillis_ \- the diadem of Ravenclaw?" squeaked Flitwick. "A little extra wisdom never goes amiss, Potter, but I hardly think it would be much use in this situation!"

"I only meant, do you know where it is? Have you ever seen it?"

"Seen it! Nobody has seen it in living memory! Long since lost, boy."

"We shall meet you and your Ravenclaws in the Great Hall, Filius!" said Professor McGonagall, beckoning to Luna, Harry and I to follow her.

We had just reached the door when Slughorn rumbled into speech.

"My word," he puffed, pale and sweaty, his walrus mustache aquiver. "What a to-do! I'm not at all sure whether this is wise, Minerva. He is bound to find a way in, you know, and anyone who has tried to delay him will be in the most grievous peril-"

"I shall expect you and the Slytherins in the Great Hall in twenty minutes also." said Professor McGonagall. "If you wish to leave with your students, we shall not stop you. But if any of you attempt to sabotage our resistance or take up arms against us within this castle, then, Horace, we duel to kill."

"Minerva!" he said, aghast.

"The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties," interrupted Professor McGonagall. "Go and wake your students, Horace."

We did not stay to watch Slughorn splutter, instead following after Professor McGonagall, who had taken up a position in the middle of the corridor and raised her wand.

" _Piertotum_ , for heaven's sake, Filch, not now!"

The aged caretaker had just come hobbling into view, shouting "Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!"

"They're supposed to be you blithering idiot!" shouted McGonagall. "Now go and do something constructive! Find Peeves!"

"P-Peeves?" stammered Filch as though he had never heard the name before.

"Yes, Peeves, you fool, Peeves! Haven't you been complaining about him for a quarter of a century? Go and fetch him, at once."

Filch evidently thought Professor McGonagall had taken leave of her senses, but hobbled away, hunch-shouldered, muttering under his breath.

"And now-  _Piertotum Locomator_!" cried Professor McGonagall. And all along the corridor the statues and suits of armor jumped down from their plinths, and from the echoing crashes from the floors above and below, I could guess with reasonable certainty that their fellows throughout the castle had done the same.

"Hogwarts is threatened!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "Man the boundaries, protect us, do your duty to our school!"

Clattering and yelling, the horde of moving statues stampeded past us, some of them smaller, others larger than life. There were animals too, and the clanking suits of armor brandished swords and spiked balls on chains.

"Now, Potter," said McGonagall. "You, Miss Lovegood and Miss Swan had better return to your friends and bring them to the Great Hall. I shall rouse the other Gryffindors."

We parted from McGonagall at the top of the next staircase, the three of us turning back toward the concealed entrance to the Room of Requirement. As we ran, we met crowds of students, most wearing traveling cloaks over their pajamas, being shepherded down to the Great Hall by teachers and prefects.

"That was Potter!"

"Harry Potter!"

"It was him, I swear, I just saw him!"

Several steps ahead of Luna and I, Harry didn't even look back, and at last we reached the entrance to the Room of Requirement, the enchanted wall opening to admit us. 

As the room came into view in front of us Harry slipped down a few stairs in shock. It was packed, far more crowded than when we had last been in there. Auror Shacklebolt and Professor Lupin were looking up at Harry, as were Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Ginny's older brother Bill, the Beauxbatons' Champion Fleur, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry, what's happening?" said Professor Lupin, meeting us at the foot of the stairs.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school- Snape's run for it. What are you doing here? How did you know?"

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred explained. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized," Harry said. "We're fighting."

There was a great roar and a surge toward the stairs, mingled members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and the old Gryffindor Quidditch team, all with their wands drawn, heading up into the main castle.

"Come on, Luna, Bella," Isobel called as she passed, Katie and Sue on either side of her. I exchanged a look with Luna, and she smiled softly, steel in her silvery eyes. 

"Ready?" 

"Ready." 

Still gripping Luna's hand tightly, we joined the streaming crowd back up the stairs.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

  
  


The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and scattered with stars, and below it the four long House tables were lined with disheveled students, some in traveling cloaks, others in dressing gowns. Here and there shone the pearly white figures of the school ghosts. Every eye, living and dead was fixed upon Professor McGonagall, who was speaking from the raised platform at the top of the Hall. Behind her stood the remaining teaches, including the palomino centaur, Firenze, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived to fight.

"...evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madame Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your House and take your charges in orderly fashion to the evacuation point."

Many of the students looked petrified, but despite that, a seventh year Hufflepuff stood up and shouted what so many of us were thinking; "And what if we want to stay and fight?"

There was a smattering of applause.

"If you are of age, you may stay." said Professor McGonagall.

"What about our things?" called a girl at the Ravenclaw table. "Our trunks, our owls?"

"We have no time to collect possessions." said Professor McGonagall. "The important thing is to get you out of here safely."

"Where's Professor Snape?" shouted a girl from the Slytherin table.

"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk." replied Professor McGonagall and a great cheer erupted from the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws. "We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-"

But her final words were drowned as a different voice echoed throughout the Hall. It was high, cold, and clear. There was no telling from where it came. It seemed to issue from the walls themselves. 

"I know that you are preparing to fight." There were screams amongst the students, some of whom clutched each other, looking around in terror for the source of the sound. Luna's grip had turned vice-like, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest, my breath coming far too quickly. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

There was silence in the Hall now, the kind of silence that presses against the eardrums, that seems too huge to be contained by walls.

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and they shall not be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded."

"You have until midnight."

The silence swallowed us all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry, to hold him forever in the glare of thousands of invisible beams. Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table, a seventh year girl named Parkinson, one of Luna's more frequent tormentor's. Parkinson raised a shaking arm and screamed, "But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!"

Before anyone could even say a word, though, there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, Luna, Katie and I included, all of us with our backs to Harry, all of us looking toward Parkinson instead. Wands were emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves, and despite my fear, I could feel my heart slow, my breathing even out. I was not alone. None of us were alone here, in this moment. We would stand together as one, and we would fight together as one, all of us united. 

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson." said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."

There was a grinding of benches as the Slytherins started trooping out on the other side of the Hall.

"Ravenclaws, follow on!" cried Professor McGonagall.

Slowly the four tables emptied, hundreds of people marching for the Room of Requirement. Prefects were shouting instructions, trying to keep track of the students in their own Houses and there was much pushing and shouting; I could see seventh years bowling over first years to get to the front of the queue, here and there younger students were in tears, while older ones called desperately for friends or siblings.

The Slytherin table was completely deserted, but a number of older Ravenclaws remained seated, Luna, Katie and I included in that number, as well as Sue, Isobel, Isobel's older sister Morag and Morag's best friend, Lisa Turpin. Even more Hufflepuffs then Ravenclaws stayed behind, and half of Gryffindor remained in their seats, necessitating Professor McGonagall's descent from the teachers' platform to chivvy the underage on their way.

"Absolutely not, Creevey, go!" I heard her scolding loudly, "And you, Peakes!"

Auror Shacklebolt then stepped forward on the raised platform to address those of us who had stayed behind.

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast. A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers, Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor, where they'll have good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus," he indicated to Professor Lupin, "Arthur," he pointed toward Mr. Weasley, sitting at the Gryffindor table, "and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances or the passageways into the school-"

"Sounds like a job for us." called Fred, indicating himself and George, and Auror Shacklebolt nodded his approval.

"All right, leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"

Luna, Katie and I were assigned to Professor Flitwick, and to the Ravenclaw Tower. Our team was one of the three 'sniper' teams, with our task being to curse those below.

I was practically vibrating with adrenaline as the wind whipped my hair violently around my face, the sharp sting of the cold slicing through my clothes. I could see the mass of dark cloaked figures sending spells flying towards the castle, only for them to collide with the dome of amber light that shielded the school grounds. But cracks were starting to appear in the light, and Katie let out a low moan beside me as the wards shattered with the sound of cracking thunder.

The army of Death Eaters and Dark sympathizers started rushing forwards, and Flitwick squeaked loudly, "It's time!" 

I aimed carefully and started attacking. Our team was one of three sending down a rainbow conglomerate of curses to the approaching Dark army. From the Astronomy Tower I could see potted plants being thrown, the wizards and witches they landed near collapsing. Massive Devil Snare's were released, and bursts of fire were sent towards the ripping, tearing tentacles intent on wringing the life out of anything within their range. 

I was elated and terrified in equal measure. A massive cloud of owls poured out of smashed windows, momentarily blocking out the moon, the sound of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of beating wings impossibly loud. 

The door leading out to where our troop was gathered was reinforced, but a massive explosion had the whole wall it was set in blasting out. A seventh year I didn't know was caught in the blast, and I let out a horrified cry as he was sent flying backwards, tipping over the railing and falling off the side of the Tower.

Flitwick let out a furious sound, and his wand was moving so quickly that I finally understood why he had been known as a dueling champion in his youth.

I wasn't sure how many Death Eaters there were in front of us, but I didn't care. I remembered Yin's advice, about outthinking them, not outduelling them, and pulled Katie and Luna with me, away to the side, so we weren't attacking them head-on.

Half hidden behind part of the broken wall, we resumed spitting curses towards them. The way they fought was terrifying. They weren't holding back or using stunning and disarming spells. Their attacks were crippling, maiming and injuring those who met the wrong side of their wands. Leaning out of our cover, I fired a series of stunners at the Death Eaters, only one of which met its mark. 

Katie was having more luck, and she managed to incapacitate two, before one of her spells missed, clipping one of them on the side of his head instead of front-on. His skull mask came dislodged, revealing the bone of his cheek, now jutting out at an awful angle, and he let out a roar of pain. His exploding curse hit the rubble we were hiding behind and Luna practically dived away from the point of impact, dragging me with her, and colliding with Katie, sending her flying out of the path of the spell.

I stumbled to my feet, ignoring the sharp ache of my left wrist from where I'd hit the ground. There was no room for pain, nor for fear or panic. There was only victory, or defeat- only survival, or death. 

It was calming, in a sense. There was no room for my pain. All I had to do, from one second to the next, was survive. And to do that I had to win. So I would win. Somehow, someway, I would win. 

The spells being used around us were of increasing destructiveness. Balls of fire and killing curses gave way to sprays of acid and venom, only to be replaced by lightning storms and deadly pressure waves. Students and Death Eaters alike were sent plummeting over the sides of the Tower, and an impressive amount of bodies were forming a pile in front of a grim-faced Flitwick.

The Death Eater with the broken cheekbone was still advancing on us, and our cover had been obliterated. "Overlapping shield charms," Katie ordered us, and both Luna and I obeyed instantly, both of us shouting ' _Protego_!' Katie shot curses around the two, overlapping shields which were defending off the approaching Death Eater's attacks. He was forced to halt in his advance, and his broken face was half-twisted into a horrible looking snarl. My arms were shaking with effort as his curses collided with my shield, and I could feel sweat rolling down my face. 

Katie raised her wand and brought it down in one fluid movement. A sickle of yellow light left her wand and headed towards him. The Death Eater saw the attack and raised a shield of his own. As the yellow light collided with the shield it stopped and I could see the Death Eater smirk behind his mask, but instead of dissipating, the yellow light intensified its glow and absorbed the bluish shield. After that it continued its way like it never had been stopped. The smirk of the Death Eater still hadn't left his face as the light collided with his chest. He stumbled backwards as blood flowed down his front, and he fell to his knees. 

Luna dropped her shield and stunned the fallen Death Eater, all in one smooth movement. I let my own shield drop and for a moment the three of us just panted, and then a burst of green light shooting in our direction had us all jumping to the side, the killing curse missing us by inches. 

Still stumbling backwards, I moved my wand in three slashing movements at our new attacker. The Death Eater formed a shield that took most of the force of my curse, but I was proud to see the rest of it scratching his shoulder, cutting through his robes, and blood started flowing down his arm. 

He let out an angered shout, and I was on my own defending myself against him as Katie and Luna were now defending themselves against their own attackers. He whipped his wand at me and I could feel the force behind the dark curse. I had no time to move out of the way, so I recast my shield charm. His curse collided with the shield, but it didn't disappear. Instead, black veins snaked over the surface like a spider web. The black of those veins contrasted harshly with the clear blue of my shield, and I could feel the web of the dark curse pushing against my shield, threatening to break it. 

I knew, instinctively, that if my shield broke, the net would engulf me instead and I would die. The Death Eater, wand still raised to maintain the curse, was laughing behind his mask. I could feel the force of the curse double, and my shield was losing power by the second. I was driven to my knees and my arms were shaking so badly I knew that my shield was moments from breaking. 

And then a bright, violet-colored jet of light collided with the Death Eater and he screamed, before falling forwards, convulsing. Isobel stood behind him, wand out and pointed, panting, sweaty and fierce. She looked more worse for wear then I'd ever seen her before, her normally pristine robes torn and dirtied and her fiery red hair frizzy and crackling around her head like a flame, but she seemed to be in one piece, a savage grin on her face. 

She rushed over and reached out. I accepted her hand, gratefully, and she pulled me from my kneeling position. "Thanks." I panted, and she laughed, the sound merry and fierce. 

"Anytime!" 

We both turned to where Luna and Katie were fighting. Luna's opponent was limp on the ground, and she'd joined forces with Katie, both of them struggling against the clearly far more skilled opponent then our previous ones. Isobel gave a quick, vicious smile. "Let's teach this knobdobber not to pick on schoolgirls," she said, and I smiled back at her, just as viciously.

"Agreed." Ducking a fist-sized chunk of concrete knocked loose by a stray blasting hex, I sprinted over to where Luna and Katie were desperately trying to keep their ground as the Death Eater steered them towards the edge of the tower, the safety railing having long-since been blasted to smithereens, leaving nothing to guard against the sheer drop. 

Isobel's curse missed him by a hair's breadth, the Death Eater twisting away from the jet of light just in time. "You scunner! Do yer dinger!" She shouts at him.

The Death Eater brings his wand down in a wide, sweeping arc that had the four of us diving for the ground. Where his spell had collided with the wall, deep gouges had appeared- had we not ducked, it would have sliced us in half. 

I don't pause to think about my near brush with death, it was one of many, and there were bound to be countless more before even this next hour was over, and I shot a spell at the Death Eater's foot. The blasting hex caught him just above his ankle, and I could hear the crunch of bone. He let out a bellow of pain, stumbling, and Luna used the opened opportunity caused by his sudden lack of balance to send a stunner at him. It collided with his midriff, and he collapsed, unconscious. 

"I don't think we should leave him breathing," Isobel said, panting heavily. Luna cringed backwards. 

"I don't think I can do that," she said, looking grey at the thought, "not in cold blood." I felt sick, also taking a step back. Isobel nodded grimly, sucked in a breath, visibly steeling herself, before pointing her wand at the Death Eater. She opened her mouth, and then hesitated. An idea struck me, and I quickly moved forwards, pushing her to the side. I pointed my wand at his wand hand and, swallowing my nausea, banished the bones in his hand. 

Isobel made a sort of half laugh, half sobbing sound. "Thank you," she said, and I gave her a weak sort of smile. 

"No problem." 

It was Katie who summoned the Death Eater's wand, and she snapped it in half over her knee, and tossed the two halves over the edge of the Tower. 

Turning back to face what was left of our troop, I winced. We were down to less then half our number, and Flitwick had vanished. I wasn't sure if he was alive, or dead and buried under the strewn bodies or rubble, but either way, this wasn't good. 

"We need to do something, right now, or we're going to die." Katie said, gripping her wand tight. "We need to get off the Tower! It's too confined, and there are too many Death Eaters!" 

Remembering the tactical lessons that Yin had practically beaten into me, I whisper my hastily put together plan to Katie, Isobel and Luna. It's Luna who casts a charm we learned all the way back in third year to produce massive amounts of smoke to cover our movements, while Katie, Isobel and I make our way around the curve of the Tower until we're practically behind where the group of Death Eaters is thickest, and then an over-powered ' _incendio_ ' to catch their attention. 

When exchanging spells with a large group of hostiles, the trick is to outflank them, Yin had told us, to use superior mobility so that they couldn't use their numbers to their advantage, and then take out as many as possible with one heck of a spell. 

I take a determined breath as the smoke partially clears with a wave of my wand, and I find myself staring at the exposed backs of the group of Death Eaters, who are still looking at the place where, seconds ago, a raging fire had blistered in the air. I raise my wand, preparing to put much more force behind the spell than it was designed for, Katie and Isobel copying my movements on either side of me. 

The three shouted, overpowered banishing hexes blasted into the Death Eaters closest to us, tossing them though the air. Nearly half a dozen Death Eaters were thrown over the edge of the Tower by the surprise attack, the rest hitting the ground.

"Let's go!" Shouted Isobel, sprinting for the gaping hole where the doorway used to be. Katie, Luna and I sprint after her, stumbling slightly over the bodies and rubble, strewn across the ground. I let out a sudden shriek as one of the downed Death Eaters grabs my ankle, causing me to trip, hitting the ground hard on my hands and knees. My wand clatters against the ground, rolling several feet away, out of my reach. I don't hesitate, though, in kicking back hard with my free foot, smashing the back of my heel into where I'm guessing the nose of the Death Eater restraining is located. 

He let out a grunt of pain, but didn't let go, whipping his wand around so it was facing me. Panic flared up in me, and instead of pulling away, I lunged forwards, knocking his wand aside. I was all claws and teeth, a weapon driven by nothing but the will, the desperation, to survive. I tore away his mask, using my fingers to claw and rip at the skin of his face. I ignored them turning red with blood, ignoring the stringy strands of flesh peeled away from his face. 

He was bigger, stronger, but I had the advantage, because I'd attacked first. One of my fingers sunk into the gelatinous flesh of his right eye, my nail scraping the edge of the socket, and he screamed. I found myself using my knees and elbows to pound into the evil man, and it was Luna who dragged me off him, pulling me from my need to hurt, to tear, to destroy. 

She forced my wand back into my hand, made my red-soaked fingers wrap tight around it, then pulled me up, over to the doorway, pushing me through it. The Ravenclaw Common Room was destroyed, and I let her drag me along, down the spiral staircase.

Isobel and Katie were waiting at the bottom, both doubled over and panting. The corridor was blessedly empty, no fighting here, only the sounds of it carrying from further down, thankfully out of sight. They both looked up as Luna and I appeared, wands pointed at us, then lowering in recognition. Both their faces looked horrified as they looked at us, and I wondered why until Luna spoke up.

"Don't worry, it's not her blood. Well, it's mostly not her blood." She assures them. I look down at myself then and cringe at the sight of all the red. There's stringy bits of skin under my nails that isn't mine, as well as a greyish, jelly-like substance. Sickened, I wipe my hands on my jeans, shuddering as I do so.

"What do we do now?" Katie asks, and we all trade looks of uncertainty. All around the castle, shouting could be heard. People were fighting. People were screaming. 

People were dying, and we could be next, easy as breathing.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN:**

  
  


"We need to find an adult- a teacher, or a member of the Order of the Phoenix," Isobel says, finally. Luna's silver eyes seem to mist over slightly, before she blinks, dreamy look vanishing.

"The Great Hall." She says, and I nod. 

"There should be a professor there somewhere." I agree, trusting Luna's word. Katie visibly steels herself.

"Let's go." She says grimly, and our short rest is over and we start running again. 

Making our way through the halls, dust clogged the air and rubble littered the ground. We ran down a staircase and found ourselves in a corridor full of duelers. 

The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, dueled students and teachers alike. 

A seventh year Gryffindor, Dean Thomas, was face-to-face with Dolohov, while the twin of Padma Patil, our prefect last year, Parvati was trading spells with Travers. 

I raised my wand, wanting to help in some way, but the duelers were weaving and darting so much that there was a strong likelihood of hurting one of our own side if I tried casting a spell. 

A great "Wheeeeee!" had me jerking my head up, and I saw Peeves zooming over us, dropping Snargaluff pods down onto the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling green tubers like fat worms.

"ARGH!" 

I flinched in shock at the sudden yell, so close to me, spinning around to see a fistful of damp green roots suspended improbably in midair.

"Someone's invisible there!" shouted a masked Death Eater, pointing.

Dean Thomas made the most of the Death Eater's momentary distraction, knocking him out with a stunning Spell; Dolohov attempted to retaliate, and Parvati Patil shot a Body Bind Curse at him. 

"LET'S GO!" I heard a voice that was undoubtedly Harry's yell.

"Come on!" Isobel urged, agreeing with the sentiment. Slipping occasionally in pools of Snargaluff juice, the four of us made our way towards the top of the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall.

It was chaos, a loud, horrible chaos of fire and shouting and screaming, of angry cries and furious roars. The windows were shattered and what remained of the tables were burning. There was blood on the floor. There were bodies on the floor.

Duellers were all over the stairs and in the hall. Death Eaters, everywhere I looked: Yaxley, close to the front doors, in combat with Flitwick, who I was equal parts relieved and delighted to see was still amongst the living, a masked Death Eater dueling Auror Shacklebolt, students running in every direction; some carrying or dragging injured friends. Neville Longbottom emerged from the ruckus, ducking a Stunning Spell, his arms filled with a Venomous Tentacula, which looped itself happily around the nearest Death Eater and began reeling him in.

We made it down the marble staircase, slipping and staggering as we did so, the hourglass that had recorded House points having been smashed, sending jewels spilling everywhere, all over the ground.

Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead and as we reached the ground a gray blur that I took for an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen.

"NO!" I heard someone female shriek, and a deafening blast threw Fenrir Greyback away from the feebly struggling body of the seventh year Gryffindor Lavender Brown. Greyback hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet. Then, with a bright white flash and a crack, a crystal ball fell on top of his head, and he crumpled to the ground and did not move.

"I have more!" shrieked Professor Trelawney from over the banisters. "More for any who wants them! Here!" And with a move like a tennis serve, she heaved another enormous crystal sphere from her bag, waved her wand through the air, and caused the ball to speed across the hall and smash through a window. At the same moment, the heavy wooden front doors burst open, and gigantic spiders started forcing their way into the front hall.

Screams of terror rent the air: the fighters scattered, Death Eaters and Hogwartians alike, and red and green jets of light flew into the midst of the oncoming monsters, which shuddered and reared, more terrifying than ever.

They were, quite frankly, petrifying. I'd read about them, seen sketches, but their descriptions had not done the Acromantula justice.

Spiders. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic.

A student I didn't recognize let out an especially piercing scream as one of the Acromantula ripped into him. All spells hurtled at the beast bounced off the spell-resistant hide, and I retched as the student was torn to pieces before me. 

I could vaguely hear Professor Hagrid yelling, but I was distracted by the sudden, horrifying sound of Katie screaming like someone had just ripped out her spine. I turned to face her and felt my stomach heave as I saw her, one of my best friends, doubled over in agony, her left arm severed above the elbow, leaving her with a stump pouring out blood at a truly alarming speed. 

Katie was screaming and screaming, and so was I, until her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed. Ignoring the spell-fire and the retreating Acromantula, I dropped to my knees beside her, my bloodstained fingers reaching for her neck, pushing desperately against her pulse-point.

"She's alive," I gasp, my entire body shaking violently in terror and relief. Luna crouches beside me and presses her wand tip against the bloodied stump; against the flesh and bone and muscle. There's a hiss and small wisps of smoke, accompanied by the rancid stench of burning human flesh, as Luna cauterizes the wound. 

So I don't have to watch Katie's flesh sizzle and turn black, I search the ground around us for Katie's wand, locating it in a puddle of blood. I stash it in my pocket, just as Luna taps my shoulder.

Together, we manage to lift Katie's unconscious body up. Isobel shields us the best she can as we use the cover of spell-fire to drag Katie out of the Entrance Hall, off to the side. 

The ground was suddenly shaking beneath us like an earthquake, and I could hear loud bellows, the sounds of massive bodies crashing against each other with enough force to knock out walls of the castle.

"Giants," whispers Luna, face ashen. "Those are giants." 

"What do we do?" Moans Isobel.

"Katie- we need- we need to-" I can't breathe properly, and I can't think. I felt so faint that I could barely focus my eyes. There were black dots dancing in my vision and I felt sick. Unconsciousness was very tempting now. I just had to give in to it and all this pain, terror and despair would be gone. But no! That would only be temporary, and I couldn't leave Luna, Katie and Isobel, not now. I took a deep breath and fought the sickness. After opening my eyes again I forced my drained brain into action. 

Pulling the medical kit Qiang gave me out of my pocket, I enlarged it and pulled out the bottle clearly marked 'blood-replenishing'. Pulling open Katie's jaw, I tip the copper-colored liquid into her mouth, and Luna massages her throat to ensure she swallows it. 

"Have you got her wand?" Isobel asks, and I nod my head.

"Yeah, I've got it." Isobel looks stressed. 

"We need to find somewhere safe to put her. Taking her around with us will get us all killed." She says, and I reluctantly agree. There's a small alcove, around a hundred feet away, that we stash her in. Luna casts a disillusionment charm over her, and we watch as Katie's limp, bloodstained form shimmers out of view. 

"What now?" Isobel asks, and Luna's suddenly running. 

"This way!" she calls, and neither Isobel or I hesitate in racing after her. 

I follow Luna's dirty-blond hair, tearing through the Entrance Hall, down the steps and onto the grounds where two giants, one smaller then the other, are wrestling, the gargantuan monsters throwing themselves at each other with the savagery of lions. 

We manage to get around them, and we're halfway towards the Forbidden Forest of all places before I feel the chill in the air.  

Ahead I can see shapes move out in the darkness, swirling figures of concentrated blackness, moving in a great wave towards the castles, their faces hooded and their breath rattling... The sounds of fighting behind us grew suddenly muted, deadened, because a silence only Dementors could bring was falling thickly through the night.

Ahead of us, I saw a silver terrier burst into the air, flicker feebly, and expire; I saw an otter twist in midair and fade. Both patronuses I recognized from the DA meetings, and I realized with a start why Luna had brought us here.

" _Expecto Patronum!_ " Luna shouted, and I was casting the spell alongside her, my mind filled with thoughts of Edward, of his warm golden eyes, his icy lips, and the weight of his ring on my finger. 

A silver hare, a mountain lion and, several heartbeats later, after Isobel catches on, a squirrel soar past, their light revealing three figures that had previously been hidden from view.

The Dementors were driven back by the patronuses, and I hurried after Luna, wand still outstretched, as she approached the Golden Trio; Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

"That's right," said Luna encouragingly, as if we were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the D.A. "That's right, Harry... come on think of something happy..."

"Something happy?" Harry said, his voice cracked.

"We're all still here," Luna whispered, "we're still fighting. Come on, now...."

There was a silver spark, then a wavering light, and then, the iconic silver stag burst from the end of Harry's wand. It cantered forward, and now the Dementors scattered in earnest, and immediately the temperature of the night was mild again, but the sounds of the surrounding battle returned to their full volume, loud in our ears.

"Can't thank you enough," said Ron shakily, turning to face us. "You just saved-"

With a roar and an earth-quaking tremor, another giant came lurching out of the darkness from the direction of the forest, brandishing a club taller than any of us.

"RUN!" Harry shouted, but we didn't need any telling; we all scattered, and not a second too soon, for the next moment the creature's massive foot had fallen exactly where we'd been standing.

I sprinted after Luna, her dirty-blond hair my homing beacon, ignoring the jets of light flying in the darkness all around me, and the sound of the lake crashing like the sea, and the creaking of the Forbidden Forest; although the night was windless, the grounds themselves seemed to have risen in rebellion.

We reached the castle again, and Luna pressed her slim body against the wall, panting hard. I stood beside her, bent double and clutching my heaving chest, hiding in the shadows cast by the wall of the castle and the night the best I could. 

"Luna," I said, not bothering to whisper- the sounds of the battle drowned out all sounds. "We've lost Isobel." 

Luna grips onto my arm with a vice-like grip. Her face is grey, and without really thinking about it, I pull her into an embrace. We hug tightly, like we'll never let go of each other, ever. I bury my face in her hair, while she rests her head in the crook of my neck. 

"I love you," I tell her, hot, wet tears spilling down my cheeks. I can feel dampness on my neck that isn't sweat or blood, and I know Luna is crying too. 

I can feel her lips moving against the skin of my neck as she says, "I love you, Bella." Over and over. I kiss the top of her head, and then we're pulling apart slightly, enough so that we can rest our foreheads against the other's. 

"Is now a good time to ask what you are?" I inquire, suddenly, and Luna laughs, the sound weak but genuine.

"I always have told you the truth. My creatures, as you call them, do whisper things to me, but..."

"But that's not all," I say.

"Yes," she agrees. "I have fae blood in me. Babcia was one of the fair folk, and my grandfather was human. I'm only quarter fae, but it's enough for me to see what others cannot, to reach within the gate-ways, though I cannot fully pass through."

"So that's how you always seem to know things... I remember reading once that time has virtually no meaning around the fae. It can flow backwards or forwards, fast or slow, or even side-ways." Luna hums, thoughtfully.

"I suppose that holds some truth. My 'creatures' certainly seem to exist outside of time, whispering all sorts of things that haven't happened yet, happened so long ago, or are even happening right as we speak."

"Are they telling you anything now?" I ask, "Because I've got no clue what we should do, and we can't just stay here."  

As if to punctuate my point, a massive roar of triumph sounds, and one of the gargantuan giants falls to the ground, body hitting the earth with such a crash that I'm almost knocked off my feet, and my teeth feel like they're rattling in my skull. 

"I don't think you're going to like this," Luna says, and I laugh, the sound verging somewhat on hysterical. 

"At this point, I'm pretty sure that doesn't matter." I choke out between giggles, and she laughs too, the sound as giddy and manic as my own mirth. I'm laughing so hard I'm practically crying, and then I am actually crying, and so is she, but we pull ourselves together. We can cry later, right now we need to fight. 

"You need to go to the Shrieking Shack." Luna says. A sliver of apprehension oozing down my spine makes me shudder.

"'You' as in singular? Just me?" I ask, warily, and Luna nods.

"There's something I have to do too." She says, determination clear on her features. "And there's something you have to do. I don't know what, but you'll know." I look at her, and she looks back, solemn and resolved, all bruised and bloodied, with her clothes torn and face covered in grime. 

"Okay." I say, and then, with a final hug, a final touch of hands and brush of fingers, we run- her towards the castle, and me? I'm running towards the Weeping Willow. 

Luna and I had found the passageway out of the school in our second year. We'd originally been heading over to the Forest to feed Luna's thestrals- well, they weren't hers, but my god they treated her like she was the moon and stars!- when Luna had declared that the nargles insisted we follow an ugly looking ginger cat with a squashed face across the grounds instead. Seeing as we were breaking the rules either way, I'd agreed without any fuss.

I'd been horrified, though, when the cat walked under the Weeping Willow, but it wasn't hurt by the thrashing branches, and then it had pressed this funny looking knob on the trunk with its paw, causing the branches to freeze.

Curiosity drove the pair of us to follow the cat down what turned out to be a passageway, which led to the most haunted house in Britain. A scruffy, mangy looking black mongrel had been lying down on a torn up rug and had started growling when it saw us, but Luna just tossed the mongrel one of the hunks of meat we'd pilfered from the kitchen to feed her thestrals, and it had settled down almost instantly. 

In the thick blackness of the night, I could barely make out the Willow's trunk, the tree so fiercely guarding the secret at its roots with its whip-like, slashing branches. For a teetering second, while the crashes and booms of the battle filled the air, I hesitated. 

Was this genuine, or was Luna trying to stash me away somewhere she thought would be safe while she went off and did something I'd never let her do? 

But I trusted her. I trusted Luna. And that second of hesitation faded to determination, and I levitated a branch, and sent it towards the trunk. It took several jabs directly at the trunk where I vaguely remembered the knot being before the writhing tree went still.

And then I wriggled into the earthy passage hidden in the tree's roots.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:**

 

I moved in silence, wand illuminated, practically crawling along the low ceilinged, cramped passage to the Shrieking Shack. 

When at last the tunnel began to slope upward I felt relief, only to freeze when I suddenly heard voices. I'd never applied a disillusion charm so quickly before. It felt like my heart was pounding so loud that whoever was up there surely had to be able to hear it, smashing against my ribcage.

And then my heart almost stopped as a high, cold voice spoke so close to me that I thought Voldemort must surely be standing right beside me. 

The horrible, hissing, sibilant voice reverberated from the walls and floor, and I realized that Voldemort was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a deathblow away.

"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately.

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Voldemort stopped speaking, and for a long moment I stood there, trembling, only to flinch again when I heard the voices above start up again. I almost passed out in relief when this time I recognized them.

"Don't listen to him," said Ron Weasley firmly.

"It'll be all right," added Hermione Granger, wildly. "Let's- let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the forest we'll need to think of a new plan-"

I stayed exactly where I was, feeling as if I'd not able to move even if I wanted to, as the trio of Gryffindor seventh years dropped down into the tunnel, the three of them hurrying back towards Hogwarts.

For a moment I wondered if I should follow them, to spend that promised hour with the ones I loved, but I chose to have faith in Luna, so I climbed out of the tunnel, only to be met with a terrible sight. 

It's Snape, or at least it's his body, slumped on the floor. The front of his robes are drenched with blood, and his eyes are closed. 

A sudden, terrible anger fills me, overwhelms me, and I'm furious- no, I'm  _beyond_  furious. All I can see are dead bodies, twisted at impossible angles, blood-stains on the walls and floor, so much death and destruction... How dare he die!? How dare Snape even think he can escape the justice for what he did, what he's  _done_ , by dying!?

Crossing the small space in three brisk strides, I snatch up his wrist, digging my thumb into the still-warm flesh of his inner wrist, feeling for a... yes! It's faint, faltering, but I can still feel a thready pulse. 

The kit Qiang had given me spills all over the blood soaked floor of the shack as I pull it open with stiff, shaking fingers that refuse to cooperate properly. The bezoar is easy to find, and I force it down the bastard's throat, before following it with a blood-replenishing potion. The wounds on his throat were from that awful snake, was my guess, hence the bezoar, and they were deep and steadily leaking blood, but the angle suggested the fangs had just missed the carotid artery. There was a lot of blood, but not enough to kill him- my guess was the venom had been doing that. I tried, but none of the few spells I knew, not even the ones Qiang had taught me, would stop the bleeding. 

Angry and scared, furious tears streaming down my face, I went the muggle way, binding them as tight as I could without actually cutting off his oxygen, before pointing my wand at the pale, unmoving, but still alive man, and tie him up with shimmering ropes, strong enough that they could bind even a vampire before searching the room to locate his wand. I picked it up the slender stick of ebony and thought about snapping it, like Katie had snapped that Death Eater's wand earlier, but I hesitated, and instead stashed it in my pocket alongside Katie's.

I stand there, then, lifting my blood-soaked hands to look at them, to look at the wet crimson that is slowly dripping from my fingers to the torn up floorboards I'm standing on. There was too much blood, on me, around me, and my body was shaking like I'd just clenched a live wire in my bare fist. 

And I realized, in that moment, just how sick I was of death, of dying. I was sick of terror and fear and watching the world get cut down around me, all because of one hard-done kid who decided, when he grew up, that he would make sure everyone got a taste of what he had suffered, and that he would never be that powerless again. 

We were going to win this War, I told myself fiercely. We were going to win this, and then all this death and fear would be over. Voldemort would be slayed and the Death Eaters would face true justice. They were going to stand up to be judged for their crimes, and then they'd hopefully be fed to Dementors. Or, worse case scenario, they'll be allowed to live, and will spend their remaining time in Azkaban, before heading down to join Stalin, Hitler, Mao, and so many other countless scum-bags in the fiery pits of hell. 

Despite my resolution, the pep talk I'd given, I still can't pull myself back together properly and, compulsively, I wipe my hands, over and over, on my pants, trying to remove the blood. When all it does is smear it around, I half stumble through the shack to where I remember the ripped-up bathroom being. The old tap works, although the water that comes out is faint orange, and I scrub at my hands. I can't get the blood out, and I recognize the incoming panic attack, but I can't do anything to stop it. 

My chest started heaving as I struggle to breathe, my stomach twisting up so badly I was coughing and dry heaving, but I didn't have anything in it to bring up. My heart was racing in my chest and everything hurt and I was terrified and we were all going to die, I was going to die- 

I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough that my mouth filled with the taste of rust, making me gag slightly, but the brief flash of pain pulled me from my panic enough that I could breathe again. 

I promised myself a nice long nightmare, and a properly scheduled screaming session, when this was all over (Please-God-Let-It-Be-Over-Soon- _Please_ ), took a soothing breath and concentrated. I needed to get back to everyone else, to Luna and those that I loved. A quick ' _tempus_ ' told me that more time had passed then I had realized. Healing Snape and then riding out my panic attack had used up a generous amount of my hour reprieve that Voldemort had 'oh-so generously' given us. Swallowing my nausea, I stood and prepared to return to the school. 

For a brief second, outside the hole to the tunnel that would lead me back to Hogwarts, I hesitated. I thought about just leaving, using my Portkey to make my way back to the States. I could snap my wand and hide with my vampire family; I could be mostly safe and alive and this goddamn nightmare would be over. It was tempting, so tempting, and I ached for Edward, wanting nothing more in that moment to just be in his arms. 

But then I thought of Luna, of her thin, gaunt face when she first arrived in Forks after her captivity, and beautiful Isobel, her lovely face carved into, leaving long scars. I remembered the pain of the Cruciatus, the muggleborn on the Knight Bus who had literally been split in half, murdered because of the 'dirty' blood in his veins. I relived the moment when I saw the Rook as nothing but rubble, and all the death I'd witnessed tonight. 

I couldn't leave this battle. I was only one wand, one mostly inexperienced fighter, but every person counted. This was what was right. All it took for evil to triumph, was for good people to do nothing. I would not do nothing. I might die, we  _all_  might die, but I would die knowing I had not just let the Dark win. I would have clawed my way to every victory, through blood and pain and terror and death, and if I die today, if we all die today, we will die proud and strong and for what is right. 

It takes me nearly fifteen minutes to reach the Entrance Hall, and I'm relieved that there's no fighting going on, but at the same time I feel cold thinking about the possible reason as to why.

Harry wouldn't have actually gone to Voldemort, would he? I thought, feeling sick. 

There were too many people for me to catch sight of Luna, or Isobel or Ginny or Sue, and the glimpse of bodies, laid out in rows along the house tables, had me urgently back-tracking out of the Great Hall. Instead I made my way down to the alcove where we'd hidden an unconscious Katie.

To my relief, she was still there, and she was still breathing. In fact, she was awake and sitting up, looking wan but alive. The disillusion charm had worn off, but it didn't look like she'd been attacked any further.

"Katie," I breathed a sigh of relief, and she flinched. I realized, with a start, that I was still wearing the disillusion charm, and quickly undid the magic. When she saw me, she let out a little moan of relief, pulling herself to her feet with her good arm... her only arm... and half falling on top of me, and clinging on to me the best she could. 

"Thank god you're okay," she said, voice choked, "I've been terrified, wondering what's going on."

"When did you wake up?" I ask, helping her move out from the alcove. She shudders.

"His voice. I heard him saying something about Harry Potter." 

"That was a bit under an hour ago." I tell her, but before I can say anything else I hear a terrible scream, a sound I had never expected or dreamed that firm and in-control, even in the midst of all this terror and chaos, Professor McGonagall could make such a sound. Katie and I trade one look before we're both running towards the sound.

It's outside the Entrance Hall that I spot the source of Professor McGonagall's anguish. 

Death Eaters had spread out in a line facing the open front door of the school. Standing near the center, alongside the terrible form of Lord Voldemort, was a bound Hagrid, and in Hagrid's arms...

"No!"

"No!"

"Harry!  _HARRY_!"

Ron's, Hermione's, and Ginny's voices filled the sudden silence, and their cries acted like a trigger; the crowd of survivors took up the cause, screaming and yelling abuse at the Death Eaters, until- 

"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

I watched, numb, as Hagrid lowered Harry gently to the grass. 

"You see?" said Voldemort, striding backward and forward right beside the place where Harry lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again, myself included, Katie next to me screaming just as loud, until a second, more powerful bang extinguished our voices once more.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort, and there was a relish in his voice. "Killed while trying to save himself-"

But Voldemort broke off as Neville broke free of the crowd and charged at Voldemort, who disarmed him with a flick of his wand, and forced Neville's already bruised and battered body to the ground with a fleshy thud. Voldemort threw Neville's wand aside, laughing.

"And who is this?" he said in his soft snake's hiss. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

Bellatrix Lestrange gave a delighted laugh.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"

"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. "But you are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled in fists.

"So what if I am?" said Neville loudly.

"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

"I'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and I was cheering; joining the crowd screaming and stamping our feet in answer to Neville's cry of arms, until Voldemort silenced us all again.

"Very well," said Voldemort, and I could swear I heard more danger in the silkiness of his voice than in the most powerful curse. "If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it."

Voldemort waved his wand and seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half-light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"

He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the crowd surrounding me, and I found myself raising my wand, prepared to step forwards, like all the fighters around me, but as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, causing the crowd to still, holding us; the fighters, the survivors, the  _warriors_  of Hogwarts at bay.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

Screams split the dawn, and Neville was a flame, rooted to the spot, unable to move- and then many things happened at the same moment.

I heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, a small-ish giant came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at the small-ish giant like bull elephants making the earth quake. 

Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise, and Neville moved.

In one swift, fluid motion, he broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle- the slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet, it seemed to draw every eye. 

With a single stroke Neville sliced off Voldemort's snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, the snake's body thudding to the ground at his feet. 

Chaos reigned. 

The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was feeling the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; I saw great winged creatures soaring the heads of Voldemort's giants, tens of thestrals and a lone hippogriff scratching at their eyes while the small-ish giant punched and pummeled them, and now all of us, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike were being forced back into the castle. 

Random jinxes and curses were flying at Death Eaters from nowhere, and bodies with skull masks were trampled by the retreating crowd.

I was buffered into the Entrance Hall, along with everyone else, and the fighting had begun, once again.

Voldemort was firing spells from his wand as he backed into the Great Hall, still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying left and right.

Katie and I ended up in the Great Hall, where the fight inside was flourishing: the last stand of the Light.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:**   
  


I spotted a swish of dirty-blond hair out of the corner of my eye, over by the center of the Hall, and I practically leap after it, pulling Katie alongside me. There were so many people, absolutely everywhere. What looked like the families and friends of every Hogwarts student who had remained to fight, along with the shop-keepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade, were pouring into through the wide-open doorway of the Entrance Hall. Three magnificent-looking centaurs burst into the hall with a great clatter of hooves, as the door that led to the kitchens was blasted off its hinges.

The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers. At their head was an old, wrinkly looking house-elf with a bullfrog's voice audible even above this din: "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"

They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters, their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere I looked Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde.

But it was not over yet. Voldemort was in the center of the battle, and he was striking and smiting all within reach. 

I fought my way stubbornly towards where I'd spotted Luna, even as the Great Hall became more and more crowded as everyone who could walk forced their way inside.

I saw Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, saw Dolohov fall with a scream at Flitwick's hands, saw Walden Macnair thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground. I saw Ron and Neville bringing down Fenrir Greyback. Aberforth Stunning Rookwood, Mr. Weasley and Percy Weasley flooring Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.

Voldemort was now dueling McGonagall, Slughorn, Auror Shacklebolt all at once, and there was a cold hatred in his face as they wove and ducked around him, unable to finish him- Bellatrix Lestrange was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she dueled three at once: Hermione, Ginny and  _Luna_ , all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, more so even, and I watched in horror as a sickly orange-colored spell flew towards Luna. 

"NO!" I screamed, reaching her just in time to shove her out of the path of the curse, unintentionally putting myself in the line of fire as I did so. The layers of clothing I was wearing were ripped away by the spell, revealing a long line of pale skin suddenly gaping open from ribs to knee, spewing forth blood, slicing me open like a slaughtered animal.

I cried out, once, a weak sound that didn't nearly portray the severe degree of sudden, literal side-splitting agony I was in, and dropped to my knees, one arm curling around my ribcage instinctually, the other still trying to keep my wand steady against Bellatrix Lestrange. 

Bellatrix hadn't even paused, hadn't spared me a second look, already casting a Killing Curse that shot so close to Ginny that my friend missed death by an inch-

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms, Bellatrix spun on the spot, cackling with laughter at the sight of the new challenger.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, and with a simple swipe of her wand she began to duel. 

I let out pained, gasping breaths that felt like fire, and Luna was kneeling beside me. She looked horrendous; she'd been caught in the spray of my blood and her face appeared as if someone had gone overboard with red paint on it, her hair and clothes too.

"Your medical kit, where is it Bella?" she had to ask three times before I really registered the question, and even then I couldn't answer, fighting to not only stay conscious, but to force each new breath into uncooperative lungs. I felt that if I stopped forcing myself to inhale and exhale, I'd simply stop breathing altogether. 

Luna began patting through my pockets for the medical kit while  Hermione kneeled down next to her, her anxiety barely masking the barely contained grief so evident on her pretty face. She was fishing around inside a small, purple beaded bag, and she quickly produced a little bottle. 

"Essence of Dittany," she explained to Luna, before she started pouring it over my wound. The bleeding stopped, the skin slowly knitting itself back together, leaving a thick, puckered line behind, worse then all of my other scars, but I didn't complain, because the pain was mostly gone now, and it didn't burn so much with each breath.

"Bella, can you hear me?" She asked, tapping the side of my face with her palm, and I tried to follow her voice, managed to force my uncooperative body to nod. "Good," she sighs in relief, and the older muggleborn wraps the arm not supporting me upright in a gentle hug, being careful not to touch the fresh-healing injury. "I'm so glad you're okay," she murmurs in my ear, before pulling back and doing something clever with her wand that mends the long rip in my clothing, something I hadn't realised until that point, my brain still too muddled from shock and pain. 

Luna, meanwhile, has finally located the medical kit and retrieves from it a blood replenishing potion and a pepper-up potion, both of which she makes me drink. I do as she orders, without any complaints, and my head starts to clear, enough so that I can mostly balance on my own when Luna and Hermione pull me to my feet, and just in time to witness Mrs. Weasley's curse soar beneath Bellatrix's constricted arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.

Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time the Dark witch seemed to know what had happened, then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared and Voldemort screamed.

McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn were blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley and terrible fear gripped me for the span of a single heartbeat, and then someone roared " _PROTEGO_!" and a Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall.

Everyone stared around for the source, and then Harry Potter pulled off his Invisibility Cloak.

He was alive. Harry Potter was alive.

Relief almost had me falling to the ground again, it was only Luna's grip that kept me upright, and yells of shock, cheers, and screams resounded on every side of the Hall:

"Harry!"

"HE'S ALIVE!" 

And then suddenly the crowd went silent, all noise stifled at once as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other, and began, at the same moment, to circle each other.

"I don't want anyone else to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

Voldemort hissed.

"Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "This isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

"Nobody," said Harry simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good."

"One of us?" jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" asked Harry. They were still moving sideways, both of them, in that perfect circle, maintaining the same distance from each other. "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

"Accidents!" screamed Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified, and of the hundreds in the Hall, nobody seemed to breathe but the two magical titans circling each other before us all. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Harry. "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people-"

"But you did not!"

"-I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

"You dare-"

"Yes, I dare," said Harry. "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Voldemort did not speak for a moment, but prowled a circle. Both Luna and now Katie, too, had an iron grip on each of my arms, though Katie's was more of a way to support herself too, but I was thankful for them, for Katie's presence and Luna's support, as my legs were shaking so badly I wasn't sure I'd be able to stand on my own, only a combination of strength and will-power keeping me on my feet. 

"Is it love again?" Voldemort finally spoke again, his snake's face jeering. "Dumbledore favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter, and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

"Just one thing," said Harry, and still they circled each other, like two deadly predators. 

"If it is not love that will save you this time," said Voldemort, "you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both," said Harry and Voldemort began to laugh, the sound was more frightening than his screams; humorless and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall.

"You think you know more magic than I do?" he said. "Than I, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry, "a better wizard, a better man."

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did," said Harry, "but you were wrong."

I inhaled sharply, shocked, and for the first time, the people around me stirred, hundreds of people drawing breath as one. 

"Dumbledore is dead!" Voldemort hurled the words at Harry, "I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore is dead," said Harry calmly, "but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."

"What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes did not waver from Harry's.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," said Harry. "Snape was Dumbledore's. Dumbledore's from the moment you starting hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand."

I felt like I'd stopped breathing as I thought of the man, restrained in the Shrieking Shack, alive, but only just. The one who would be dead, if it hadn't been for my interference. The man who might still die. The man I'd been looking forward to being fed to a Dementor.

The man who just might not be a villain, after all.

"You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?" Harry asked and Voldemort did not answer. They continued to circle each other like wolves about to tear each other apart.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe," said Harry, "the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized. He asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all," sneered Voldemort, "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him-"

"Of course he told you that," said Harry, "but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"

"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great love! Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways that you do not understand! Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy- I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape two hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, it did." said Harry. "You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..."

"What is this?"

Of all the things that Harry had been telling Voldemort, it was clear to everyone watching the two with baited breath, that nothing, no revelation or taunt, had shocked Voldemort like this. 

"It's your one last chance," said Harry, "it's all you've got left... I've seen what you'll be otherwise... Be a man... try... Try for some remorse."

"You dare-?" said Voldemort again.

"Yes, I dare," said Harry, "because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle. That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? Snape never beat Dumbledore! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die, undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against the last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? The wand chooses the wizard... The Elder Wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance... The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

I felt Luna stiffen, her grip on my upper-arm tightening to the point of pain. I turned my head slightly to look at her, and saw her face had turned white.

And then Voldemort was speaking again, and my attention was back to the deadly face-off. "But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone... and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..." At these terrible words, said so softly, so matter-of-fact, Luna's nails dug into my skin as her grip tightened impossibly further, and I was unable to fully prevent myself from wincing, a very small, very distant part of me, a part that wasn't so enthralled by what was happening before me, wondered if her nails had dug in deep enough to make me bleed. 

"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took his wand from him." Harry twitched the wand in his hand, and every eye in the Hall turned to it. Beside me I could practically feel as Luna seemed to deflate, her vice-like grip loosening, her slim fingers giving the slightest squeeze of apology, the bite of pain as they pressed on fresh, finger-shaped bruises insignificant compared to how my entire body was feeling. 

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry, quietly enough that I had to strain to hear him. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red-glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above us as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of the magical titans' faces at the same time, turning them both to flaming blurs as both yelled their chosen spells: 

" _AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

" _EXPELLIARMUS_!"

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle the two had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. The jet of green met the jet of red, the Elder Wand flew high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling through the air toward Harry who, with the unerring skill of someone used to catching winged golden golf-balls, from at both high speeds and great heights, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. 

Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, white hands empty and snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry Potter stood over him with two wands in hand, staring down at his enemy's shell.

One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. 

I barely noticed any of it. I let out a shaking breath and heard Luna do the same beside me. For a moment I was absolutely sure this wasn't happening- except it was. It had. Voldemort was dead, lying on the floor, utterly mortal and graceless in death. 

The scant remaining Death Eaters were either down, or going down, some of them bound and gagged and a lot of them simply dead or dying, as the suddenly triumphant side took their victory, finally ending of the war some of them had fought for decades.

"That's it?" I breathed quietly. Relief and sudden, painful joy was gaining ground, the shock was fading, and I was shivering. "Is that it?!"

The battle and with it the war... was over. Hogwarts was bruised and wounded, but it was victorious. It had been bloodied and it had tasted death, and it had emerged free. 

As fierce new sun dazzled the windows as so many of the survivors thundered toward Harry Potter. 

I started crying then, and so was Luna and Katie, and then we were joining the crowd of hundreds, all trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of us pressing in, all of us determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last, an indispensable part of the mingled outpourings of jubilation and mourning, of grief and celebration.

And all the while, the sun rose steadily over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall blazed with life and light. 

-

Voldemort's body was moved and laid in a chamber off the Hall, away from those who had died fighting him. Professor McGonagall had replaced the House tables, but nobody was sitting according to House anymore: all of us were jumbled together, teachers and pupils, ghosts and parents, centaurs and house-elves; Firenze lay recovering in the corner, tended to by a centaur with a rich, chestnut coat, and the runt giant was peering in through a smashed window, and people were throwing food into his laughing mouth. 

Luna, Katie and I were all sitting together, not sure what else to do. I was genuinely shocked when the hero of the hour (of the fucking  _century_ ), an exhausted and drained looking Harry, sat down beside Luna. 

Katie and I didn't say anything- I think we were both in too much awe at that moment, but Luna just smiled at him, same as ever. "I'd want some peace and quiet, if it were me," she said

"I'd love some," Harry replied.

"I'll distract them all- use your cloak." And before Harry could say a word, Luna cried out loudly, "Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!" and pointed out the window. Everyone who heard looked around, and in an instant, Harry disappeared.

And Luna's shout managed to serve a double purpose, because Isobel was running over, the exhausted-looking girl having finally located us again. She looked about as good as I felt– her hair a mess, her clothing torn, face bloodied and pale. There was a cut on her upper arm that was still bleeding and it looked like something had burned the hem of her shirt, and as she moved I could catch glimpses of raw, blistered skin underneath the charred material. 

Isobel, careless of any injury on her person, threw her arms around me and Luna, squeezing so hard that I actually cried out in pain from the pressure on my aching body, especially my side. She hurriedly released me, then hugged a surprised Katie, just as tight, though more carefully, before clambering up and laying down on her side along the table-top in front of me then just falling lax, one arm spilling over the table and onto the bench below it.

"Thank Merlin you're all alive," she said, and I noticed how red and swollen her eyes were, how distressed she looked. Fear gripped me, a terrible, instinctive fear. 

"Is Morag alright?" I asked, afraid of her answer. 

"She's alive- she's in one of the other make-shift infirmaries. She's asleep at the moment, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be fine." Isobel says, with a sniff. 

"Thank god," I breathe out shakily. "Your expression scared me then." 

When her expression stayed miserable, I felt realisation set. "Oh," I breathe, grief already twisting my insides to knots, "Oh no- who is it?" 

"Lisa died," Isobel said, her voice breaking, and I swallow back my despair. Lisa Turpin is a Ravenclaw in the year above us, and Morag, Isobel's sister's, best friend. I'd liked the mild-mannered, bookish girl who'd helped me with my Astronomy work more then once- she's considered to be a prodigy in the subject. 

She...  _was_  considered to be a prodigy in the subject. 

"Anyone else?" I ask with a sinking heart. Isobel gives a hopeless sort of laugh, that's all bitter and pained, no humour evident. 

"Oh, Bella, it feels like the list doesn't end! Fred Weasley, that little Gryffindor Colin Creevey and his younger brother, Padma's twin sister Parvati, the Gryffindor in the year above us Lavender Brown, the old Head Girl, Penelope Clearwater and-and-" Isobel lets out a loud sob, eyes welling with fresh tears. "Oh Bella, Sue- she didn't make it." She finally manages to choke out. 

My brain stopped working, I stopped breathing and it felt like every limb had been turned to ice. Emotion welled up in me, too much emotion, too much, too much, too much, and  _I couldn't cope_. I couldn't deal with this sort of overwhelming emotion, this overwhelming fear; I'd always struggled to. It felt like there were steel bands wrapped around my lungs and I couldn't breathe, I couldn't, I couldn't,  _I couldn't_ - 

Luna slapped me, lightly, and I gasped, finally inhaling. My ears stopped ringing enough that I could hear her talking to me. "Breathe in; one, two, three, breathe out; one, two, three," she kept repeating her instructions and I forced myself to do what she said. 

When my burgeoning panic attack had been forced down, I leaned against my best friend, truly exhausted. 

"Why didn't she stay in China?" I ask, bleakly. "Why did she come fight? She was  _safe_  there!" 

"Yes, like you two were safe in America," Isobel has tears running down her face, "safe until you felt your DA coin burn and you didn't even hesitate to come fight, just like Sue- just like  _all_  of us." I bow my head, my hair forming a curtain around my face as I cry silently. 

"I found her again, after we all got split up." Isobel speaks through a thick, choked voice. "She was fighting alongside Professor Sinistra- I barely spoke to her for a minute or two before she..." Isobel shudders. I buried my face in my hands, letting out a broken sound of grief. My eyelids felt heavy, my cheeks were wet with tears, and all I wanted was to be in Edward's arms.

"We should go home, let everyone know we're alive." Luna murmurs, softly, as if she's just read my mind. "They must be so scared." Her thin hand strokes my hair, clever fingers picking out debris. 

"I- yes. Yes, let's go home." I agree, my voice hitching into a sob mid-sentence. Isobel pushes herself back up into a sitting position and hugs us both fiercely but gently. 

"Don't be strangers," she orders, her Scottish brogue thicker in her heightened emotional state. "Write to me every day, and we're meeting up before the week's over." She then turns to a quiet Katie, giving her a hug too. "It was an honor fighting at your side, Katie Marshall." She says, and Katie gives her a watery smile.

"It was an honor fighting at yours."

We move from the Great Hall, out to the grounds, and I pull my Portkey from where it's secured, and then pause, the swaying branches of the willow across the grounds in my peripheral vision swiftly grabbing my attention. 

"Actually, there's something I need to do first." I say, reluctantly. "Or rather... there's someone we need to pick up first."

Severus Snape is where I left him, still in a pool of his own blood, now dried and flaking, bound by restraints, unconscious but breathing. Katie shudders, taking several steps backwards when she recognises who he is. "I know Harry says he's actually a good guy, but I don't like him." She says in a low voice.

"Me either." I mutter, pulling out my Portkey again and crouching so I've got a hold of Snape's wrist. "Let's get out of here, guys." The other two pull out their Portkeys, and I notice something at once.

"You've used your emergency Portkey," I accuse Luna, who looks back at me innocently. "Do I even want to know who you've sent to our home?" I ask her, resigned, too exhausted to make an issue of this. 

"Not even slightly, I'd imagine." Luna says, with a vague sort of smile that means she's hiding something and she's absolutely not ashamed of it. 

"I was afraid of that." I sigh, before activating my portkey; " _Portus_!" 

After a dizzying minute, we appeared in the Cullens front yard. It was night in America, which was a touch of a shock after standing in the bright morning sun. I released my grip on Snape's wrist, looked to make sure Luna and Katie were both safely here, which they were, and then turned to the opening front door.

And there Edward was, looking the most glorious I'd ever seen him. The pallid light of the moon turned his skin a perfect white, like the moon itself, and made his hair black as the sky. I couldn't find it within me to feel self-conscious about my dirty, bloodstained, ragged self, as for a small blink of eternity we stared at each other, and then he moved, faster then my eyes could follow, so he was right in front of me, cold hands cradling my face, and  _oh sweet gods_ Edward was kissing me, I was kissing him, and his lips were cold and soft and perfect, sending chills up my teeth where they brushed together. I raised my free hand and tangled it in Edward's bronze hair, holding him still as best as my weak human limbs could, keeping him with me because if there was anything I could do to make this never end then I was damn well going to do it. Edward's lips kept moving, around and between and always  _on_ mine, and I moved in return, taking more, more,  _more_... 

It was around that point that I finally passed out, something that was rather overdue by this point.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

 

I woke up. And while normally that wouldn't be considered a particularly earth-shattering feat, this time was one of those exceptions. My entire body ached fiercely, and I expected that an examination would reveal bruises all over. A careful inventory told me that despite these aches, a tender throat that hurt when I swallowed, and a much sharper stabbing pain along my left side that, while sharp and raw, was bearable, I appeared to be in one piece. 

Satisfied that everything was marginally stable, I carefully peeled my eyes open. For about a quarter of a second I registered the fact I was in Edward's room, and then I was being pulled into an embrace that made me huff slightly as the air was knocked from my lungs. I didn't really care, though, not with the way Edward was holding me against his body, molding us as tightly together as we could be without being physically intimate. 

There was no kissing, no heavy touching, no rubbing or grinding, just holding tight. Reveling in the fact that we could. 

I might have cried a little bit too. 

I made a sound of protest as Edward gently pulled away, his reluctant expression looking as if it was agonizing for him to do so, but then he was moving, and his iced, marble body was replaced by one that was warm and squishy and had two days worth of scruff that scratched me as I was pulled into another tight hug, this one squeezing even harder then Edward's. 

"Dad!" I choked, tears springing to my eyes from the pain caused by the tight hug, "can't breathe!" 

"Don't care," Charlie muttered, though he did, obligingly, loosen his grip enough that my ribs weren't being crushed inwards, and I released my breath in a relieved puff as the pressure on my side vanished. 

The hugging lasted for an eternity- by 'Charlie Swan Standards', at least. Not that Charlie seemed to be the one caring this time, instead it was me who felt more and more progressively uncomfortable as my father showed no signs of letting go any time soon. 

Deciding drastic action must be taken; I cleared my throat (it was more then a little choked up at this point) and then asked the question I thought would be most likely to get more then just a one or two word answer from him. 

"So, is the mostly dead man I brought back still breathing?"

Predictably, Charlie did let go, moving back so he was still seated on the bed within arm's length of me, and I slumped back against the pillows that Edward had thoughtfully arranged up against the headboard for me so that I was propped up without having to expend much energy. 

"He's alive," Charlie confirms, "thanks to Doctor Cullen."

"Carlisle's kept his heart going, though it was very touch and go, up to a point." Edward explains, as he lifts my hand in his two icy ones. I shiver, but not from the cold. "He's in a medically induced coma, at present. Luna and Katie both advised that we keep him like that."

"Probably for the best. I'm pretty sure he's still considered a war criminal." I muse, and then almost laugh as Edward and Charlie let out nearly identical long-suffering sighs. 

"I don't even want to know how you ended up with him." Charlie says, despairingly. "Or why you brought him here." 

"It was Luna's fault." I inform him- because it's true- and he just shakes his head. "How is she, anyway?" I ask, "And how long have I been... asleep?" 

"A little under fourteen hours." Edward is the one to answer me, "Carlisle said it was mostly exhaustion that had you unconscious so long, paired with an unhealthy amount of stress and trauma."

"Worth it," I say, unable to help my wide smile. Giddiness fills me, and it feels like I'm about to start laughing out loud, the suddenness making me feel off-balance as well as gleeful. 

And it is so definitely, absolutely 'worth it'- Voldemort is dead. He's dead, and he's never, ever,  _ever_  coming back, and- 

-and my smile drops as I remember who else is never, ever,  _ever_  coming back. 

"How... how's Angela?" I ask, quietly, and there's a tremble in my voice. It's Charlie who answers, though with his odd little relationship with Qiang, I shouldn't be so surprised.

"She took the news pretty hard. They all did." He says, face unhappy. I blink back tears of grief- the Li's didn't deserve this;  _Sue_  didn't deserve this, her life stolen from her so early. 

"You'd have liked her. Both of you. Sue was pretty hard not to like- she was so gentle and kind. People would always think she was a better fit for Hufflepuff then Ravenclaw, until we reached third year and she started Arithmancy- Professor Vector absolutely adored her, and I'm pretty sure she was going to ask her to be her apprentice after she took her NEWTs." 

I should have realized that Sue wouldn't have kept away from the battle- she was as loyal as a Hufflepuff, and staying in China while we all fought went against every part of her nature. 

"I'm so very, very sorry for your loss," Edward says, solemnly. My breath hitches in a sob and he brushes his lips to my forehead, and I lean forwards into it. He wraps his arms around me, half embracing me, half supporting me. Charlie doesn't comment, though I can see in my peripheral vision he looks a touch awkward.

"How are Luna and Katie doing?" I ask, after a long moment of silence for brave, selfless Sue, pulling my head back so I can look into his golden eyes. 

"Qiang had to operate on Katie to clean up what was left of her arm." Edward says, mouth curved down in an unhappy frown as he looks down at me. "And Luna... well, Luna's mostly been busy with her...  _guest_ , though she did let Carlisle check her over- she had some nasty bruises and light burns and a cracked rib, but other then that she's in one piece."

"Guest?" I ask, sharply, remembering Luna's missing emergency Portkey. Edward's frown deepens. 

"Luna requested I let her inform you of the... guest's identity." He says. 

"Don't like the look of that one." Mutters Charlie, looking just as unhappy as Edward.

"I'm really not going to take this well, am I?" I mutter. 

-

Walking proves to be a nuisance. Mostly because my entire body feels like one giant bruise, and the pain in my left side has slowly increased from feeling like dozens of sharp pins stabbing me to dozens of sharp pins heated up by an open flame and then stabbing me. I'm very tempted to just ask Edward to carry me, but my pride refuses to allow it. 

Pride makes absolute bloody idiots out of people.

I've barely cleared the bottom step before Alice has pulled me into her arms. I'm actually surprised by my reaction to her sudden appearance- a blast of terror has my body turn into a statue, and I let out a gasping sound, unable to breathe properly in my rapidly approaching panic.

I barely register the fact Alice has let go of me, too preoccupied by the sheer overwhelming panic and the sharp pain in my chest that I only vaguely realize is the result of being unable to breathe. My face is hot, flushed, and my eyelashes seem stuck together, waterlogged. Someone's speaking to me, but I can't get the words to make sense over the pounding in my ears. 

(There's colored lights flashing bright behind my eyelids, most of them vibrant green, and I can  _taste_  copper and smoke and-) 

The sudden pressure of ice cold, unyielding lips melded against my own soft, malleable ones has me grasping onto what little rationality I have left, and I clutch onto Edward, kissing him back frantically.

"I guess that's one way to do it," I hear someone- Emmett, I'm pretty sure- mutter. 

"Emmett!" scolds Esme, confirming my suspicions. "This is  _not_  the time!" 

My head is clearing of the fog of anxiety, and my heart has stopped feeling like its trying to break my ribs, though my body hurts more, and I wince at the pain in my wrist. Looking down, I notice for the first time the bandage wrapped tight around it, and I look up at Edward, confused. 

"You had a bad sprain," Edward explains. I remember falling, reaching out automatically to brace my fall, and the sharp pain afterwards, a sharp pain mostly ignored in my rush to help Luna and Katie. 

"It was nothing too serious," Carlisle speaks up, and I turn slightly to face him. "The ligaments connecting your wrist and hand-bones had small tears, but we iced it while you were unconscious, and then I compressed it. It should only take around two weeks to completely heal- naturally, that is. I assume there are magical treatments that will deal with it much more efficiency."

"Thanks Carlisle." I try to smile at him, though the heaviness I'm feeling, the tiredness following the panic attack, the pain and aching all over my body and the grief I'm only just managing to hold at bay, makes this difficult. He gives me a warm look in response.

"I gave you a check-over while you were out," he says, "you have extensive bruising, which I imagine you can feel quite keenly, and several burns which I applied a cooling salve and antibiotic cream, and any scarring will be minimal. The injury you sustained that most concerns me is the laceration along your side."

I grimace, pulling up the hem of my shirt to examine Bellatrix's handiwork. It was long, very long, reaching from mid-ribcage to mid-thigh, and in a mostly straight line. The scar tissue looked red and inflamed and even thicker then I'd originally thought without all the blood. I let my top fall back down to cover it and rub my temples with my fingertips, my head starting to ache slightly- I blamed stress, and it made me grimace. 

"Bella?" Edward asks anxiously, and I smile up at him, though my expression feels half forced. 

"I'm fine. Just a headache." I tell him. His blessedly cool hands gently tug my hands down, replacing them with his long, clever and- most importantly- icy ones, and I sigh a little in relief. 

Alice approaches me again, this time slowly. Her expression is mostly hidden behind the mask of a smile, but I can see the worry burning fierce in her gold eyes. Loudly choreographing her movements, she lifts up a tall glass of water with condensation beading along the sides and two small capsules. "It's advil," she says, and I smile at her, and this time it's easier to make my mouth form the movement. The water feels glorious and refreshing, sliding down my throat, though swallowing makes me grimace slightly, pained, having not realized the extent of the inflammation in my throat. 

"Bella?" Edward repeats, still looking anxious. I sigh.

"My body hurts." 

"I imagine that you'll feel that way for a few weeks," Carlisle says, apologetically. 

"So Qiang's gone, then?" I question, and it's Charlie who answers.

"She left yesterday with Mei-Xing, after helping Carlisle with Katie. Mei-Xing wouldn't take Angela or the twins- doesn't want them out of the country yet, not even for the," he hesitates for a moment, "for the... funeral. Katie's staying with Angela." I blink back tears, sniffing loudly. Edward produces a handkerchief, and I wipe my nose, unattractively. 

"You should rest, Bella," Carlisle says, gently. "Let your body heal." Edward seems to agree with him, and after I convince him to let me have a shower (he insists on Alice standing inside the bathroom with me just in case, and I agree without argument because my legs sort of feel like jelly) I find myself half curled in his lap on the couch, in front of the television. Alice, Emmett and Rosalie join us. I get to choose the movie and I pick 'The Princess Diaries', letting myself relax at the silly, light-hearted plot.

Edward keeps massaging my temples which I'm glad of, as the advil hasn't had much of an effect, instead the aching had increased. I dose off at one point, but someone- Alice, probably- puts in another movie, and I spend a lazy afternoon on the couch, falling asleep a little after lunch. When I wake up, it's to Luna snuggled beside me, and I realize with a start I'm in my bedroom at home.

"When did I get here?" I ask, feeling disorientated. My head hurts and the red-hot stabbing pins have turned to red-hot stabbing icepicks, now. 

"The Cullens and the Pack had the meeting tonight," Luna murmurs, her chin tucked over my shoulder, carefully avoiding the purple bruising I know is under the light sweater I'm wearing. "Edward drove you and Charlie back here a few hours ago- you slept right through it."

I shiver slightly, frowning at the reminder that not everything's over. "I actually forgot about the newborn army." I confess, and Luna's warmth breath brushes against my neck as she laughs softly, almost silently. 

"You're not the only one." She admits, without embarrassment. 

"I was always more worried about the whole magic situation." I tell her, "it always felt like the bigger risk. Like if anything was going to kill me, it was going to be a Dark wizard, not a group of fresh-Turned vampires." We lay there together in relative silence, before I think to ask.

"Am I allowed to know the mysterious identity of our guest?" I ask, and she looks thoughtful.

"I've done a lot of thinking," she states softly, "about what you said to me- about love." I wince, not liking where this is going. 

"Come up with anything interesting?" I ask, faking casual while internally panicking. 

"Well I believe I have figured it out." Luna says. 

"Oh?"

"Love is..." she smiles faintly, "it's...you go in with both eyes wide open, knowing that you're taking daft risks and that there's only the slimmest of all possible chances that anything will come of it. You don't have a guarantee, or promise that can't be broken in an instant, but it... it doesn't matter. And while sometimes it can hurt you, and hurt the one you love, you're never, ever more alive than when you're with them- it's reckless and painful and overwhelming, like you're drowning, and it's incredible and you never want to come up for air, but you wouldn't have it any other way-  _I_ wouldn't have it any other way. That's how I feel, Bella. Like there's someone who thinks I'm the most precious thing on this green earth and who makes me so happy."

I slump, the tension leaving my body as I realize that no matter what I say, it won't make a difference- not when Luna seems to have fallen head-over-heels for the mystery guest.

"So are you going to tell me who this mysterious person you're in love is? Who is also our new guest, I'm guessing, the one you gave your emergency portkey to?" 

"It might not work out," Luna says, softly. "I may be deluding myself. My creatures... they're silent. I'm going into this blind and deaf, and... I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing, because if it doesn't work-"

"Do you love them?" I interrupt. She blinks her silver eyes slowly. 

"Yes. I do."

"Then it doesn't matter. Not really. No matter how it ends, or even how it starts, the real point to loving someone is  _being_  in love. It's...it's not a path to somewhere else. It's the  _destination_. It's the  _point_. Whatever happens afterwards, you still felt love, and were loved." I tell her.

Luna exhales, looking as if a weight has lifted from her too-thin shoulders. "You're right." She says, a gentle smile on her face. "Of course you are."

"Of course I am." I agree, with a smile. She laughs. 

"Let's go, then. I have someone to introduce you to." She gets up lightly and I stand too, but then I have to grab the bed-head, squeezing my eyes closed as the room spins around me and my headache flares, a brief wave of nausea twisting my stomach. A small sound of pain escapes me, as it feels like someone's pressed a burning iron along my side. 

"Bella?" Luna asks, anxiously. 

"Just- give me a second," I say, through gritted teeth. "Bad headache." 

" _Aguamenti_! Here," she presses a glass into my hand, and I drink the water quickly, before carefully opening my eyes. My head hurts, but the room's stopped spinning, and my stomach is uncomfortable but steady. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Luna peers at me, worriedly. "You're very pale, Bella." 

"I'm always pale," I dismiss, putting the glass down on my bedside table, and picking up my wand, which some thoughtful soul had placed there. "Now stop procrastinating and let me meet Romeo... or Juliet. Either one- I'm okay with both." 

"Romeo," Luna says, leading me to Charlie's tiny study. She opens the door, and for a moment I take in the fact the desk and bookshelf have been taken out and replaced with a small single bed with a brass frame, and then I register just who it is on the bed, looking up from the book they're reading, startled, and my wand is outstretched, the curse on my lips before I even really register I'm moving. 

Luna grabs my elbow, knocking the spell off-course, but the jet of red light still hits the bed, and Draco Malfoy is knocked arse over teakettle. 

The pillow catches fire, too, but Luna yanks my wand out of my hand before I can use it to curse Malfoy again and uses it to put the fire out. I glower at Malfoy, while making grabby hands for my wand, still intent on cursing him.

I hated Draco Malfoy. Not in the kind of 'I hate veggies' way either, more in the 'I'm going to cave your head in with a rock then shove your face in that yellow snow over there' kind of way. 

Unfortunately, he looked so pathetic right now that even when I managed to get my wand back from Luna I couldn't find it within myself to curse him again. Which was a crying shame, and something I knew I'd regret later. 

"Luna, you should never  _ever_  be left unsupervised." I tell her, still glaring fiercely at Malfoy. 

"Bella, you trust me, right?" Luna said, sternly. 

"Sure," I nod, half turning to face her, but still keeping Malfoy in my line of sight, "I trust you Luna- I trust you with my life. It's scum-bag Death Eaters like him that I don't trust."

"Bella," she scolds. 

"I'm not taking it back." I snap, obstinately. "You were kept in his fucking cellar for months. I will never forgive that! I'll never forgive him!" I spit the last words at Malfoy, a very large and currently  _extremely_  prominent part of me enjoying the way he flinches back and cringes, like my words are knives, cutting deep into him. "This is some sort of Stockholm Syndrome." I decide, grimly. "We're going to Carlisle- he'll know how to help you, Luna."

"Bella!" I turn my head fully around to look at Luna, surprised by her raised voice. Her silver eyes have gone all steely, and she's giving me a fierce look. "Do you trust me?" She demands, again. 

"Luna-" I protest, but she silences me with a look. 

" _Do. You. Trust. Me_?" 

I deflate, my shoulders slumping as I exhale noisily. "Yeah. I trust you. Of course I do." I say, and she touches my hand with her own smaller one. 

"Then trust me, Bella."

"I still don't like him. I will never like him." I warn her, and she sighs. 

"I know. But try? For me?" 

"I won't curse him again." I allow. 

"And you won't call him a Death Eater again." She says, firmly. "Or mean names in general." 

"That's a tall order." I mutter, but seeing her expression I groan. "Fine! I won't call him a Death Eater or any other names that he  _deserves_  to be called!" She presses her lips in a thin, unimpressed line, but I refuse to back down and she eventually sighs and nods. 

"I suppose that's settled then." She drifts across the room to Malfoy and touches his shoulder, her finger tips skimming across his collarbone, and her back is to me so I can't see her face but Malfoy must see something in it that allows him to relax, the stressed, pinched look on his pointed face softening. Luna murmurs something to him that I can't hear, and he gives her a weak sort of smile. I grit my teeth and try not to glare, fighting the urge to cross the room and rip her away from him. 

Why couldn't she have fallen in love with someone who I didn't hate? I wondered mournfully. Jacob was single, after all. 

I narrowed my eyes as steel-grey ones met mine over Luna's shoulder. 

_If you so much as make her cry, I will disembowel you and knit myself a fashionable sweater out of your entrails that will be the envy of decomposing corpses everywhere,_ I warned him with a glare. 

By the way his eyes widened, I felt that he'd understood my silent message.

 

**A/N: Hello everyone, thank you for being so patient with me :) With uni starting, I'm finding myself absolutely insanely busy, so updates will be sporadic, I'm afraid. That being said, I will make an effort not to leave it so long before updating again ~ _C.Carroll_**


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY:**

 

"-and he'd just stand there and watch as Pug-face called her Loony and me a Mudblood and-" I rant to Edward as he massages my temples. I've been bitching about Malfoy for the last hour, and he's been very patient, making all the right sounds in all the right places, being appropriately sympathetic. "And now he's  _in my house_!" I repeat a statement I've made about twenty or so times now. "He's in my damn house!" 

Because I'm genuinely horrified _\- Draco Malfoy_  is  _in my house_! A  _muggle_  house! In a  _muggle_  town! The closest magical blood is Mei-Xing, and she's a squib who relocated to Forks to move away from her magical relatives!

Before I can keep ranting, Edward quickly cuts in. "How are you feeling?" He asks, in a not so subtle (and somewhat desperate) way of trying to change the topic. He looks like he's fighting the urge to either get Alice, Esme or Rosalie and then run, or to stroke my hair and say 'there, there'.

Edward is a god among men, but even he can get worn down by large amounts of... well, it's not quite 'girl talk', as calling it that is stereotyping, but prolonged 'bitching' sessions are more commonly associated with females then males. It took patient explaining at the start of the hour that no, I didn't want him to try and give me a solution to my problem (Malfoy), I wanted him to validate how I was feeling by telling me how absolutely right I was, and how Luna deserved so much better because Malfoy was an absolute-

"Bella?" Edward looks anxiously at me, "are you okay?" he repeats. 

"I'm angry." I mutter, petulantly, and when Edward winces slightly at the apparent return to ranting I sigh and decide to take pity on him and consider his question. If I was being blunt, overall I felt like shit. Specifically my wrist was fucked, my left side was especially fucked and my head felt like it'd been triple-fucked sideways. Plus practically my entire body felt like a bruise, and all my muscles were protesting movement. 

"I've got a headache." I answer Edward's query, "And achy in general, really." 

"Do you need any more advil?" Edward asks, now concerned, his hands gently skimming down my arms, then sides, as if searching for the pain. "Carlisle could also prescribe you something stronger, if you need it. Where are you hurting most?" 

"My whole body hurts the most," I tell him, before reacting as his hand brushed against the scar running down my left side. The spike of stabbing pain had me stiffening and clenching my jaw, hissing through my teeth as I blinked back the threatening tears. Edward looked genuinely worried now, his icy hands gently peeling up my shirt so we could both look at my side.

I wasn't sure, but I was pretty confident that the scar looked redder then before- it certainly hurt more.

"I'll get Carlisle to write a script," Edward murmurs. I tug at the corner of my shirt he's holding up.

"If you wanted me to take my top off, you could have just asked," I tease him half-heartedly, and he looks amused. 

"Oh?" Deciding to take that as a challenge, I force my sore arms to cooperate, pulling my shirt off, up over my head. A moment later, I realize that with the purple and blue splotches mixed with my old faint red scars and now the long, inflamed one along my side, I'd actually look better with my shirt on. Putting it back on, though, would be embarrassing, so I went with something that still made my cheeks flush, but made me feel better about myself.

I took off my bra. 

"Bella," Edward's eyes have gone dark, his pupil dilating, and he looks... hungry. Not in the 'I want to eat you' way, but in the... actually, still in the 'I want to eat you way', just a different sort of  _eating_. "You're injured," he says, pulling his gaze away from my breasts with what looked like a great deal of effort- which was definitely a nice boost to my self-esteem.

"I won't be getting any better until Qiang gets back," I point out, "and if she doesn't come back to America any time soon, then it'll be weeks before I'm back to mostly normal." Probably more for my side- a lot more, I think, but I don't mention that out loud. "Besides," I tell him, "I've heard that, well," my confidence wavers slightly as my cheeks going hot, "that a- a you know," I blush even harder, unable to make myself say 'orgasm', "is a good headache cure." 

"Bella," Edward still looks concerned and I slump my shoulders. It was going to be no sexy times, apparently. 

"Should I be putting my shirt back on?" I ask, glumly, disappointed at not getting to explore those new sensations any further. And then Edward kisses me until my head's spinning from something other then my headache. "I'll take that as you want the shirt to stay off," I gasp, breathless, as he trails kisses down my neck while I try to catch my breath. I feel his lips, now just below my collarbone, curve into a smile as he takes a moment to laugh against the damp skin of my chest, his cool breath causing goose-bumps to rise on my over-heated skin, before continuing to kiss his way down my body.

He takes his time, makes me feel like I'm floating, like I might come unmoored at any moment, until I finally do, cresting on wave after wave of shimmering pleasure.

-

I'm feeling pleasantly jelly-like, sitting on the couch with Edward, a book open on my lap, when Jacob arrives. 

"Bella," he sighs in relief, "thank god you're alright- you and Luna scared the crap out of everyone at the bonfire! Even Paul keeps asking if I've heard from you!" 

"Really? Paul?" I ask, surprised. Jacob sits down next to me, making the couch springs complain and Edward stiffen uncomfortably at my other side. He and Jacob trade hostile glares, but there's not as much heat in it as I remember last time I saw them in the same room- with all the joint training sessions, it seems the Pack and the Cullens seem to be getting along much better... well, Edward and Jacob are at least.

"Well, Paul's basically in my head whenever I shift, so he can hear my thoughts and feel my emotions- he knows how much you mean to me, and it, you know, impacts him. Like how he's got a five-year-old step-sister that I've met once and traded about six words with but I still love because he absolutely adores her." Jacob explains, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, being very careful not to touch Edward, and giving me a gentle squeeze. 

"Secondhand impressions... that's actually quite interesting." Edward says thoughtfully, "I've never thought about it like that." Jacob's mouth makes a sort of grimace before he speaks again, keeping a civil tone. 

"Well, that and the fact she and Luna both reeked of fear before they disappeared from the bonfire." He says, "Any guy's going to react to a young woman in such clear distress."

"Young woman? I'm older then you," I complain, elbowing him just under his ribs. He grins.

"But I'm taller." 

"That has nothing to do with being the older one!" I point out. 

"Which one of us do you think they'd card if we go into a bar?" he challenges.

"Well which one of us is about to graduate from high school, and which one of us is still a sophomore?" I counter. 

"You'll have to actually pass your finals first," he snickers, and I cringe. 

"Gee, thanks for reminding me." I mutter. "Oh Merlin, I'm going to flunk Biology and then they'll have to kick me out of Ravenclaw."

"Don't worry, Bella," Edward says, amused, "you do have the world's best Biology tutor, remember?" I can't help my smile at the memory of how indignant I'd been when I'd first been assigned Edward as my tutor, back when I'd just started at Forks High.

Of course, I was so glad now that Mr. Banner had made him my tutor- not only had it forced me to actually talk to him, but he actually was a fantastic tutor, and I'd started getting decent marks in my Biology tests. 

-

Three hours later, I'd completely changed my mind. Mr. Banner was an arse and Edward was the worst tutor in the world. My mind felt like it was going to explode and I wanted nothing more then to jump out the window to escape- it was tutoring from Hell, with Edward as Satan, judge, jury, and executioner.

"I need a break," I pleaded with him, desperately, and Edward chuckled.

"You realize finals start in two days?" he said, amused, and I glower at him for the unnecessary reminder.

"Biology's the last exam, I'll have plenty of time to revise for it!" 

"I thought you were a Ravenclaw," Edward points out and I glower at him even harder.

"That doesn't mean I enjoy studying a god-awful subject for hours on end!" I say, and my voice is embarrassingly shrill, which makes Edward laugh harder before suddenly pausing, head tilted. "What is it?" I ask with a pang of anxiety. 

"Nothing good," Edward says, and his face is grim. "Katie and Angela have just driven up."

"But that's good, though, right?" I ask, uneasy, and he sighs. 

"Yes, but their news isn't." He said, and stands up. I follow him to the front door, chewing on my lip. When he opens it, I'm shocked to see how pale Katie looks. 

"Katie? What is it?" I demand, panicking a little. 

"Isobel got into contact with me," Katie whispers, her voice scratchy like she's been crying for hours. "There were Aurors who wanted to speak with me. They- they found my parents." I closed my eyes, heart sinking in my chest.

"I'm so sorry," I tell her, and she makes a thick, choked off sound. 

"There's going to be a funeral," Angela says, tiredly, and I can see how exhausted she looks. " _Jiù jiu_  (uncle) and  _jiù mā_  (aunt) are having a ceremony for S-Sue on Sunday."

"Are you having a funeral service?" I ask Katie who shakes her head. 

"Not much point," she mutters, "there's just me and Daniel." 

"You and Mr. Banner wouldn't be alone, Katie," I tell her, gently. "I'd be there, and so would Angela. So would Luna and Edward and Alice." Katie sniffs, wiping the back of her sleeve over her face, mopping up the tears. 

"Thanks Bella," her voice is so quiet it's practically a whisper, "but I don't think I can put them in the ground. The Ministry is offering to cremate their bodies and send me the ashes- it's what they're doing for lots of people, apparently. I think... I think I'll scatter their ashes over the ocean. Mum loved the sea- whenever we went on holiday, she insisted it always be somewhere with a beach. And dad... dad would follow her anywhere."

"Okay," I say, reaching out to gently hold one of her hands with both of mine, giving a soft squeeze. "But we'll be there, all of us, and maybe you could... tell us about them." Katie lets out a shuddering breath, her entire body seeming to deflate, but her eyes meet mine, and suddenly they don't look so agonized. 

"I think... I think I might like that." She says, and I no longer resist the urge to step forwards and pull her into a gentle hug. Angela carefully wraps her arms around us both, and I ignore the pain of her arm brushing up against my side, instead relaxing into the embrace we're sharing. 

That evening we stood over a cliff where I'd seen teenagers from La Push jumping from the top into the water. It looked utterly terrifying, but also sort of fun, and I thought I might like to try it some day, but there was no joy and playfulness going around our small group. 

Edward and Alice were there, and so were Angela, Mr. Banner and Luna. None of us were wearing full black, but we each had some on us, from Alice's hair bow to Mr. Banner's handkerchief, tucked into his breast pocket to Angela's earrings of pretty black stones set in silver. Well, all of us wore something black except Luna, who insisted that one should wear white to a funeral and had a wreath of white flowers resting on her head. 

The sun was going down and there were reds, oranges and pinks in the sky, and the old wives-tale saying it would be sunny the next day briefly popped into my head before I focused on Katie, who was holding an urn, her hands trembling violently. 

Edward wrapped an arm around me, letting me lean into him for support, even as my fingers were linked with a solemn Luna's. 

"Goodbye mama, goodbye daddy," Katie whispered, and we all politely pretended we hadn't heard her heartbroken goodbye, "I love you both, I-I'll always miss you, so,  _so_  much." With that, she opened the urn with badly shaking fingers and poured the ashes over the edge of the cliff where the wind caught them, cradled them in its embrace as they turned invisible to my human eyes, carried by the soft breeze through the air, out over the ocean.

-

Sue's funeral the following day was... it was one of the most heart-wrenching days of my life. 

Innocence is the first casualty of war. The second is your ability to function like the average human being, as you find yourself jumping at shadows that move too quickly, at people who get too close and noises that are just too damn loud. 

And going to Sue's funeral had an issue coming up that I hadn't fully considered, but most likely should have.

Renée had always called me a 'precocious' child, prone to 'fits of fancies'. A better way of phrasing this would be 'undiagnosed anxiety disorder', but Renée had always preferred to bury her head in the sand.

That's why I went to Hogwarts in the first place, after all. Salem Witches Academy was based in America and was a day school- basically a normal high school experience, except for the part where the students were taught subjects from charms and potion brewing and transfiguration, to how to care for an injured unicorn and power runes we'd drawn with ink and blood and raw magic. Renée has never actually said out loud that she hates the fact I'm a witch, but some things? Some things just don't need to be said to be heard loud and clear. And instead of having to see me everyday, Renée had jumped at the opportunity to send me off to a boarding school almost four thousand miles away so she'd only have to deal with her witch daughter over the holidays. 

I don't hold it against her, not really. At first it was horribly depressing, but I made friends for the first time in my life and I was learning so many interesting new things everyday. Hogwarts also helped with my undiagnosed anxiety disorder as I started build up my confidence. Panic attacks were rarer now, only striking in times of great stress, I no longer had to shoulder the responsibility for the household and my own mother who was too childish and immature to do so herself, and I grew... not braver, per se, it was more like I finally found that I fitted properly inside my own body. 

The frequency of my panic attacks had been increasing since the battle at the Department of Mysteries, but some part of me had just assumed that once the stress of the Death Eaters and Voldemort was gone, everything would go back to how it was before.

Turned out I was wrong. As soon as the Portkey delivered me to where the funeral was being held in Wū shù cūn (Village of Sorcery), the village where Sue grew up, my lungs stopped working properly, the sudden panic I was feeling at people being everywhere (so many people,  _too_  many people, too loud, too many,  _too many, too many, no, no, NO!_ ) leaving me practically paralyzed. A strangled scream tried to escape and I bit down on my lip to muffle the sound. 

It's hard to explain a panic attack in words, and not all of them even feel the same. This one feels like I might throw up; there's a twisting anxiety rolling through my body like a massive snake made from ice, chilling my nerves as it travels. My lungs are bound by bands of steel, leaving me unable to breathe in any air, my face is numb and everything feels distant and fuzzy.

Two sets of gentle hands guide me away from where the crowd was thickest, over to a cluster of trees, tall and sweeping and standing alone, looking over the cemetery. Hands rubbed circles on my back and someone counted breaths with me. 

When it stops feeling like I'm trapped and suffocating, when my heart stops beating so hard and fast that it feels like it could break my ribs, and I just want to curl up in a ball somewhere dark and empty, I managed to take in who it was that had saved my pride and helped me before I passed out from lack of oxygen in front of a whole crowd of mourners. Luna was gently clasping my shoulder, rubbing soothing circles with her thumb, and Isobel was looking at me anxiously, and the way her long white dress-robe billowed in the light wind made her look like some sort of angel. I manage a weak smile. 

"I could kiss you both right now." 

"If you must," Isobel said with a self-sacrificing sigh and I sort of laugh as I let out a breath and Luna makes an amused sound before kissing my cheek. I can't help a wet sort of laugh. 

"I brought a Calming potion for you," Isobel presses a small phial into my hands. "Well, I brought a few, actually. Wasn't sure how many people might need one." I give her a thankful look and twist off the silver cap with the MacDougal House symbol engraved on the surely expensive and pure precious metal. The potion has the consistency of melted rubber, and tastes how I imagine raw eggs do. I can feel the effects, though, instantly. It feels like I've just sunk into a hot bubble bath and all my worries have just floated away. A relaxed sigh escapes me. 

"Let's go pay our respects," Isobel says, softly, plucking the now empty phial from me and slipping it into a tiny purse I hadn't noticed until then, and then links her arm with one of mine, as does Luna. 

I don't understand much of the service, as its all spoken in Mandarin, but that doesn't stop the aching loss fiercely battling with the artificial calm inside me. 

I could see Angela, with Katie by her side, standing with her parents and brothers over with her relatives, all of whom were standing with Sue's parents and siblings in silent support. When the service ended, Isobel, Luna and I made our way over. Before approaching Angela, I bowed to the beautiful woman wrapped in white silks and spicy perfume. Sue's mother, Xiaohui Li, who I'd only met three times before, looked like she hadn't slept since she'd learnt her daughter was a casualty in one of the largest battles ever recorded in Wizarding history. 

"I... I'm so sorry." I manage to choke out, and Xiaohui gave me a watery smile, touching my shoulder gently in response- she looked as if she couldn't open her mouth to speak without starting to cry. I wanted to cry too, but I was making an effort to keep myself together until I was safely home. 

Going to where Angela stood, her eyes puffy and bloodshot, I pulled my friend into a tight hug. Despite our height difference, she managed to bury her face in my hair and I could feel her entire body shaking in silent sobs. 

As we broke apart, I could see the tears streaming down Isobel's face as she looked across at Sue's body, lovingly placed in a beautifully carved coffin with a spray of white roses, the face of our dorm-mate, our  _friend_ , as gentle in death as she had been in life.  

-

After the ceremony, Isobel pulls Luna and I aside. "I was going to owl these to you, but I thought it would be better giving them in person, and you can give Katie hers," she says, pulling three thick envelopes from her pocket. The envelopes are gold with a red wax seal stamped with the official Ministry emblem. One envelope is addressed to ' _Isabella Marie Swan'_ , one to ' _Luna Księżyc Lovegood'_  and one to ' _Katherine Sofia Marshall'_. 

"What are these?" I ask, nervously. 

"Just open it," Isobel urges and I reluctantly peel off the seal and pull from the envelope the thick parchment within.

_Miss Isabella Marie Swan,_

_For services of distinction rendered to Magical Britain you have been awarded the Order of Merlin, Third Class._

_The details for the ceremony of presentation can be found below. This parchment is a Portkey, should you agree to attend._

_Sincerely,_

_Kingsley Shacklebolt,_

_Interim Minister of Magic_

Looking to the bottom of the page I flip through the part about arrangements for plus ones, instead finding the date. When I do, my eyes widen even further then they had when I read the letter. "It's tomorrow evening?" I basically squeak. 

"I know it's sudden, but it's not going to be the usual ceremony- everyone who fought at-" Isobel's voice wavers, but she continues, firmly, "at H-Hogwarts is been awarded. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are being awarded First Class, and so is Neville Longbottom, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Molly Weasley and I think three others."

"But why is it so soon?" I press, and Isobel shrugs, a gesture that genuinely shocks me. Seeing my shock she snorts. 

"I've had enough of social etiquette. I'm tired." And she looks tired. We all do. "They're moving it forwards because of Harry Potter, of course. From what I've heard," Isobel smiles here, and that makes me smile back, because Isobel has always, always had the best sources- she  _always_  knows what's going on, "the Ministry wanted to award Harry his tomorrow and throw a huge banquet to celebrate him, but Harry wouldn't accept his without Ron and Hermione's at the same time and demanded that everyone who'd fought at Hogwarts was given recognition which means there's going to be over one hundred and fifty awards handed out. They thought about splitting the First Class and Second Class awards, but realized that would mean two grand events within a small amount of time, so decided it would be much less expensive to get it all done at once."

"But why are they awarding Harry his now?" I ask, puzzled. "Why not wait?"

"Because they want to restore people's faith in the Ministry." Luna says, softly, and Isobel nods while I make an 'ah' sound of realization. 

The Ministry of Magic has been the enemy for the last year, and people have been living in fear of them. Having the Minister of Magic award Voldemort's defeater, Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Conquered and Leader of the Light, is giving a firm statement on where they now stand. 

"Do I have to do this?" I wonder. The glare Isobel gives me convinces me that yes, I  _do_  have to be there. 

-

"I wish you could come with me," I tell Edward later, glumly, laying in bed with my head on his lap as he undos the braids Alice had put my hair in for the funeral, his long, slender fingers clever and nimble.

"I wish I could come too," he murmurs, "I never want to leave your side again, for the rest of my existence."

"Well, I would appreciate some space for when I need the bathroom," I tell him, "but other then that, I think that sounds perfect." He laughs softly, fingers gently combing through my hair after having finished taking out the braids. 

"You deserve the recognition," he says, suddenly, his hand moving so that his fingers gently brush against my exposed collarbone, where the edge of a dark purple bruise is visible. 

"There are people who deserve more recognition then me," I say, thinking of Sue and Lisa Turpin, Morag, Isobel's older sister's, best friend, both of them now buried, their young lives cut brutally short while they fought for our freedom.

"And they will get their recognition too," Edward says, gently, "but they are not the only ones who made sacrifices. Anyone who fought in that battle will never forget it for the rest of their life." I think of the bodies lined in the halls, of the skull-like masks and the raw despair in Professor McGonagall's voice as she screamed Harry's name. I recall the explosions, the Hogwartians and Death Eaters alike spilling over the edge of the tower to their deaths, the way the ground shook and trembled as the giants charged, crushing people below their enormous feet, pulverizing fighters with their heavy clubs. I remember the smell of Katie's burning flesh as Luna cauterized her severed arm, the flesh peeling off the struggling man under me as I rake my nails down his face, Fenrir Greyback in human form biting a chunk out of a weakly stirring Lavender, and the agony of being sliced open, my skin ripped and torn and spread apart. 

I will never forget any of that, any of the Battle or shooting those Death Eaters or the pain of the Cruciatus, and I can't help my tears. Edward holds me, presses sweet kisses along my jaw-line, and I hold him tight, ignoring the way my entire body still hurts, just wanting the closeness in this moment where I've realized that I'm always going to be at least a little bit damaged, a little bit broken. No one survives a war entirely sane, after all.

"At least Alice will help you with the preparation," Edward says, like that will cheer me up. It doesn't work and he seems unable to help but laugh as I glare at him. "I'm fully aware of just how dangerous you are, I witnessed you set a skilled two hundred year old hunter vampire on fire, but you still look as threatening as a kitten when you pout at me like that." He says. I narrow my eyes.

"I am not pouting!" He just laughs again, then kisses me before I can retort and I decide making my point just isn't worth it, and that I should take advantage of the fact Luna's sharing a bed with Draco freaking Malfoy and therefore Edward and I have the bedroom to ourselves.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed <3 **   
**~ _C. Carroll_**


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:**

    

The fancy bra under my gown was digging into my back and pushing my breasts up uncomfortably and in a way I wasn't used to. My neck chafed from the heavy jewelry Esme had lent me, the sleeves of my dress had stuck to my arms from all the sweat and my hair was swaying dangerously atop my head each time I turned around. 

The ceremony-banquet-thing, held in honour of the to-be-announced Order of Merlin awardees, was set up in a massive ballroom filled with round tables (the muggleborn in me was snickering at this) that were all made up fancy, a stage with a podium, and a place to dance. All the witches and wizards wore dress-robes and ball-gowns, and I'd had to take two Calming potions when I arrived (and promptly freaked out despite all the preparation I'd talked myself through). Isobel had easily handed over the potions she'd had the foresight to bring with her, along with a warning that it wasn't healthy to have more then four doses a week. 

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and fanned myself with the pamphlet that had been lying on my chair. The ballroom was packed and the traditional flaming torches on the wall were giving off too much heat, and when you then added the constant flashing bulbs of the magical cameras, I was sweating like mad and thoroughly relieved that Alice had had the sagacity to use waterproof make-up. 

"Are you okay?" Hermione Granger asked me, from where she was sitting opposite me. I was on a table with her, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna. I felt honored sitting with the heroes of the Light, even though I was aware it was Luna's odd little friendship with Harry that was responsible for our seating arrangement. 

"I'm fine," I said with a weak smile. "Although I was under the impression saunas came with plunge-pools."

"I could conjure you up a cool breeze," Luna offered sweetly and I gave her a horrified look. "I was joking, Bella." She giggled and I laughed uncertainly, while breathing a silent sigh of relief. One could never be sure with Luna, and the girl could get away with murder she looked so innocent. 

A sudden blast of trumpets snapped my attention to the center stage where a number of important-looking people gracefully entered from the wings to sit down in a row of stuffed chairs. 

"Who are they?" I whispered.

"The ones in the red robes are the Wizengamot Elders," Neville is the one to answer, quietly. "Gran used to sit there but, well," his face turns pink, "I'm sort of Head of House Longbottom now."

"What about the other ones?" I ask.

"The ones in green, purple or white are previous awardees of an Order of Merlin. Green is First Class, purple is Second Class and white is Third Class." Hermione says in a hushed voice, peering over at them in interest. "I read about the awardees still alive while researching the Order of Merlin, as well as traditions for the ceremony. Did you know the first Order of Merlin was given out in the 15th century?"

"Well I do now," Ron said with a roll of his eyes, but despite his harsh-sounding words, I could see the teasing look on his face, and Hermione smiled back at him while Harry snorted, amused, the three of them sharing in some private joke. 

With a sigh, I fanned myself some more and wriggled in my dress. Isobel, apparently not trusting me to dress appropriately, had had it sent, along with strict instructions that I didn't have a choice but to wear it (Alice was very disappointed she couldn't dress me up herself, but her mood lifted when I let her do my hair and face, and then Esme had come over as Alice was doing the finishing touches of my make-up, with her opal jewellry and a sweet, shy smile- I'd blushed fire-truck red when I realized that my almost-mother-in-law was offering her probably priceless opals for me to wear). The gown was black, the bodice made from some sort of lustrous silk and chiffon sprinkled with rhinestones, while the sleeves were pressed velvet and the skirt a mass of ruffles and lace. My wrist was still wrapped tight in a bandage, but my sleeves mostly covered the dressing. 

Isobel, remembering many past experiences, decided not to bother attempting to get Luna something to dress in, but Rosalie had actually had some success dressing my best friend, meaning she looked far more normal then anyone who knew her would have expected, clad in an off-the-shoulder indigo dress with billowing sleeves and a cinched waist, the fabric of the skirt flowing out in lacy tufts. She also sported long, fingerless gloves the same shade of indigo as her dress that covered the pale scars decorating her hands and arms from Malfoy Manor.

And then, because she was Luna, she threw normal out the window and finished off her outfit with orange radish earrings and a 'diadem'- a recreation of her father's recreation of the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, to be exact. It was an odd headdress by  _any_ ,  _every_  and  _all_  standards; two objects that resembled golden ear trumpets curved out from about an inch above and a half inch back from her ears and delicate leather straps spelled gold and sparkly were attached with tiny pairs of glittering blue wings and orange radishes. I personally thought she looked perfect. Rosalie, surprisingly enough, had seemed to agree. 

The awards ceremony started, and after a glance at the pamphlet I realized that First Class awardees would be going first, followed by speeches and posthumous awardees. Dinner would be served, and then the Second Class and Third Class awardees would be presented with their medal. With a bored sigh, I slid down a little further in my chair and fiddled with my engagement ring.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Molly Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Auror Shacklebolt and Aberforth Dumbledore were all awarded an Order of Merlin First Class. After that, one of the old Order of Merlin First Class members began a speech that honestly just wasn't worth listening to and I leaned back in my chair, bored.

"Don't worry," Hermione looked at Luna and I, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes, her gold medallion with its green ribbon hanging just below her breasts. "It's going to get very exciting once the speeches are over." 

She was right. Auror Shacklebolt started reading out the next list of names, the posthumous awardees. Everyone who had fought and died in the Battle of Hogwarts was awarded Third Class, including Sue and Lisa Turpin, followed by Second Class awardees, which included Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, little Colin Creevey, who it turned out had died while saving the lives of eleven people, Fred Weasley and... 

"Free Elf Dobby, who died saving the lives of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley from capture, is awarded Order of Merlin Second Class." Auror Shacklebolt read, not even changing his tone, but the sudden uproar had him pausing to wait for the noise to die down. 

I actually started crying (just a little. Okay, more then a little). Dobby had saved Luna's life, and I owed the little guy more then I could ever repay him. Being the first non-wizard to be awarded an Order of Merlin was something the little elf deserved- Dobby would go down in history, no one in our generation or the two generations before us still alive would forget his name.

"That was quite the mischief," I said to Hermione, trying to dab at my eyes without ruining my make-up with the edge of the velvet sleeve, not bothering to whisper with all the noise. She tipped her head back and laughed.

"Oh, that's only half of it, Bella." 

"Now I really can't wait," I admitted, and she laughed again, though I noted a hint of nerves in her eyes. 

"Our First Class Order of Merlin posthumous awardees are as following," Auror Shacklebolt began to read them out. Some of the names, like Madam Amelia Bones, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Susan's mum, and Sirius Black, an acquitted war criminal who had managed to escape Azkaban, something that was supposed to be impossible, were familiar, while names like 'Emmeline Vance' and 'Hestia Jones' I hadn't heard of before.

And then the bombshell.

"For his eighteen years serving as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, saving countless lives, including that of our savior, Harry Potter, and staying faithful to the Light until his death at the wand of Voldemort himself on May 2nd, 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, we posthumously award Order of Merlin First Class to Severus Snape." 

Dead silence for almost an entire five seconds, and then people started shouting and screaming in protest and anger. 

I look over at Hermione who gives a weak smile. So this was the 'mischief', though that seemed like an understatement. Turning to Neville, I saw he looked grim but calm- I was fairly certain he'd been warned beforehand. Ginny's hands were clenched in fists and her face was pale, but she also remained silent, a steel in her eyes. 

Harry stood up and made his way to the stage. His presence alone was enough to silence the angry crowd, and he looked calmly out over all of us, gathered. 

"Everyone has heard of how Severus Snape was a spy since Voldemort threatened the life of his childhood best friend and woman he loved, Lily Potter née Evans, but no one truly understands the sacrifices that man made. I've seen those meetings Voldemort held, where he tortured his own followers and had them torture each other. Severus Snape returned to those meetings, over and over, knowing that any one could have been his last, that at any point he could have been discovered and tortured to death. He was forced to do terrible things in the name of the bigger picture. Even during the years Voldemort was without a body, Snape was in service to Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore knew that Voldemort would return, and that he would need to be able to return to Voldemort's service. Snape sacrificed his dreams to stay at Hogwarts, to be the professor all students had to hate except the Slytherins, never having the chance to fall in love, to marry, to have his own children. He killed people. He tortured people. He was Headmaster over a school where scum like the Carrows were allowed free reign. But every day, he did his best to keep students from being harmed."

"It's true," Ginny stood up, looking pale but determined. "I was caught trying to steal Gryffindor's Sword from his office. He could have turned me over to the Carrows- he should have, they were supposed to be in charge of punishment. And if you were tortured with the Cruciatus for freeing a first year hanging by his thumbs in the dungeons for forty-eight hours, then I don't even want to know what the Carrow's punishment for breaking into the headmaster's office and trying to steal from him would have been. I don't know if I would have survived it. Instead, he sent me out to the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, a punishment given to first years back when Professor Dumbledore was Headmaster." 

A woman stood up who I didn't recognize, and she had tears running down her face, but when she spoke it was with a steady voice. "My sister, her husband and two daughters were in the wrong place at the wrong time during a Death Eater raid, and paid the price for it. One of my nieces, Connie, managed to hide, but Betty, Walter and Emily were all killed. One of the Death Eaters there was Snape, and Connie recognized him from the newspaper- she's just nine years old. Walter was killed while they were being captured, but little Connie told me how one of the Death Eaters used the Cruciatus on her mum until she died," the woman has to pause, taking a gasping breath before she can speak again, "the same Death Eater started torturing Emily- she was only twelve years old. He said he wanted to see if she'd outlast her mother. Snape used the Killing Curse, ending Emily's life instantly and painlessly. He killed my niece, and I'll hate him forever for doing that, but he saved her from a terrible death." 

"Like I said, Snape killed people and tortured people," Harry spoke up again, face grave, "but every time he did it, he lost a part of himself. When he killed Albus Dumbledore, on Dumbledore's own orders, he knew that he'd be the second most hated man in Wizarding Britain, after Voldemort himself. Snape died giving me the information to defeat Voldemort, expecting to be remembered a villain, with everything he'd sacrificed—including his life—never known. I refuse to let this happen to the bravest man I know. I did not like Snape, but he died so that I could live to defeat Voldemort and save us all. I wouldn't be standing here, in front of you all, in a world free of Voldemort, without him."

Harry's gaze swept over the room, his startling green eyes burning with a fierce conviction, and in that moment I felt awed just to be in his presence.

"Thank you," Harry nodded to Auror Shacklebolt, before moving back to our table. Auror Shacklebolt cleared his throat. 

"The next Order of Merlin First Class is awarded posthumously to..."

I zoned out, instead turning to Luna who mouthed 'after'. I nodded, before turning to look at Harry. Ginny was kissing his cheek and he looked awkward. 

"I wasn't too horrible, right?" he muttered to our table.

"Oh Harry," Hermione sighed exasperated, "you're a born public speaker, of course it wasn't horrible! You just made a hall full of war heroes accept a man they universally hated as an awardee of the highest honor in Wizarding Britain." Harry smiled sheepishly at her.

"I guess I'll take that as a no, I wasn't too horrible." He said, and I bit back a laugh. 

The dinner wasn't as terrible as I'd been expecting, and then the Second Class awardees were being called forward to received their acclamation, and then finally the Third Class awardees. I could feel nerves twisting violently in my stomach and I was pretty sure I was about as pale as I felt because Ginny patted my hand sympathetically while Hermione gave me a commiserating smile and Luna kissed me on the cheek before standing to go collect her medallion, which I thought looked sort of like an oversized chocolate coin. 

I clapped for Katie, Isobel and Morag as they went up and then, at long last, Auror Shacklebolt read out my name. "For her part in battling Death Eaters on three separate occasions, her selfless sacrifice while dueling war criminal Bellatrix Lestrange and her fierce loyalty to the DA organization, founded by our savior Harry Potter, Isabella Swan is awarded the Order of Merlin Third Class." 

After the long (and, for someone who wasn't used to either heels or a floor-length gown, rather frightening) walk to the podium I was awarded my own chocolate coin with its silky white ribbon, that was lowered over my neck by the old man who'd given the speech. I was blushing pretty heavily as I made my way back to my table. 

When the last of the awards had been presented, it was dessert and then dancing. I was served a slice of strawberry tart that I nearly fell in love with. Unfortunately, I ate it before any true feelings could be formed, and then took up Ginny's dare and tried to champagne. It tasted awful, but I was stubborn and managed to drink the whole glass- it didn't taste as bad as scotch, after all, and at the red-head's cajoling I drank a second. 

Two glasses of high quality champagne wasn't enough to get me drunk, but I certainly wasn't sober, so when it came time for dancing and Luna started coaxing me out onto the dance-floor I actually agreed. I did, however, have enough sense to realize that there was no way I'd ever be able to dance in the high-heels I was wearing. My dress was long enough though, I decided, that it would hide my stocking-clad feet, so I toed off the heels, tucking them under my seat. Hermione, Ginny and Luna all laughed. "What? I don't fancy a broken ankle- or two of them!" I defended myself before starting to laugh too. 

Ginny, still laughing, dragging a reluctant Harry to his feet. "Let's dance." She said, tugging her boyfriend over to where couples had started spinning. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, two Hufflepuffs in the year above me, came and stole Neville, and Ron was asking a pink-cheeked Hermione to dance. I heard him say something about the Yule Ball and Hermione's cheeks turned even pinker, but she leaned forwards and kissed him, softly. 

"Better late then never," she murmured as they parted, and he led her to the dance floor. 

Luna leads, and we ignore the looks we get from some of the more traditional Purebloods, not that they dare say anything, as we gently sway together to the slow-paced orchestra. 

"So, I guess Harry is the one we should go to about our... guest." I say, and Luna nods.

"Harry will be fair," she agrees. I lean my head so my cheek is resting on her shoulder. 

"I'm tired," I tell her, with a sigh, "all my muscles hurt and my side feels like I've poured candle-wax or something on it while stabbing it with a bunch of pins." Luna turns her head so she can press her lips against my forehead. 

"You're much more honest when you're tipsy."

"Yeah? Then let me take this as an opportunity to say that while I'm seriously not happy that you're in some sort of relationship with Draco Malfoy, I do want you to be happy, so I'm not going to make an issue of it. But I want him out of Charlie's house, Luna. I can't have him staying with my muggle dad." 

"Can he stay with the Cullens?" Luna asks, quietly, after a moment. I think about it for a second, mouth twisted unhappily.

"He has to give you his wand." I say, finally. Luna nods gravely. 

"He will abide by your terms." She says, and there's no doubt in her voice, or in her silver eyes. "Would you be very angry at me if I stayed with him at the Cullens?" she then asks, hesitantly, and suddenly her eyes are full of doubt. I make a huffing sound.

"You know me better then that, Moon Girl." She laughs, the sound silvery and bright.

"You haven't called me 'Moon Girl' since we were thirteen," she says, and I laugh too.

"Well it felt weird after those boys in the Tower started calling Fleur Delacour—well, Fleur Weasley now—the Moon Goddess."

"Her hair does look like liquid moonlight," Luna notes, spinning us lightly so we can see Fleur. She's smiling at something Bill's saying, and her hands are both lightly settled over her abdomen as his hands are resting lightly on her lower back, the two of them moving gracefully in time to the music. She's as beautiful as any vampire, her silvery hair rippling free down her back, and her slender form clad in pale blue silk. 

"She's going to make a wonderful mother," Luna murmurs, and I blink, taking a closer look at the couple, this time noting properly the slight curve of her stomach, where last time I saw her there had been a smooth, lightly muscled abdomen, and the way her hands are cradling, protecting, the tiny bump.

"Huh." I say, unable to think of anything better. Luna hums her agreement. 

It's nearly midnight before we get the chance to speak to Harry. Luna easily gets him to slip away from the ballroom with us, murmuring something to Ginny that has her nodding before turning to drag her older brother George to dance with her. 

"What is it?" he asks, looking concerned. Luna turns to me, apparently happy to let me explain it. I glare at her for throwing me under the bus then turn back to Harry, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's sort of a long story," I mumble, "but... well, Snape's alive." Harry looks at me, blankly.

"What?"

"Snape's alive," I repeat, "he's in a medically induced coma in a locked room on a three story building with a window that doesn't open and has been charmed unbreakable and without any access to a wand." The Cullens thought that I was being paranoid, but Luna had agreed completely and she'd mentioned later that even Malfoy had agreed that Snape was cunning enough that it was better to be safe then sorry. 

There's a long silence where Harry just sort of stares bug-eyed at me, before he manages to regain usage of at least a portion of his mental functions.

"How?" He asks, weakly. 

"Like I said, long story," I sigh, "I sort of somehow managed to end up at the Shrieking Shack. You, Ron and Hermione actually passed me, like a foot away, as you were heading back to the castle. I saw Snape on the ground as well as all the blood and had a bit of a meltdown, healing him up so that if we won he could face proper justice and be fed to a Dementor, or if we lost I figured they'd just kill him again, seeing as, you know, they already tried and almost succeeded once. I left him unconscious and tied up in the shack before going back to the castle. After, Luna and I went and fetched him before returning home. My almost father-in-law is a doctor, so he fixed Snape up the best he could then put him in a medically induced coma, partly to help him heal, but mostly to keep him, you know, a prisoner without the whole shackles and barred window extravaganza." 

"Why didn't you hand him over to Madam Pomfrey, once you learned he was innocent?" Harry asked, and I motioned towards Luna.

"It was safer for him to be a dead hero of the Light then a live one." She said, quietly. "Without the full truth out there, he'd be treated like a Death Eater by the Light, and like a traitor by the Dark. Either way, neither prospect was promising for his survival."

"This is going to be a nightmare," groaned Harry, raking a hand through his dark, messy hair. "Merlin's beard, I had to fight so damn hard to get them to award him that posthumous award, they'd never have given it to him if they knew he was alive."

"I have a suggestion," Luna says, thoughtfully, "perhaps he should stay dead."

"What?" Harry asks, startled. I stare at Luna, wondering if she's actually suggesting we kill Snape. 

"Well, Snape was a spy for over half his life, he can certainly manage assuming a new identity," Luna explains, and I think Harry looks as relived as I do that Luna wasn't talking about Snape's actual death, rather she was talking about keeping up the ruse. "There are several countries isolated from Britain- I've heard Australia is quite lovely. After all," she shoots me a mischievous look, "the Hogwarts Magical Birth Register is the only means in Britain of definitively noting the birth of witches and wizards born who are eligible to attend Hogwarts- the Ministry has no way of knowing themselves when a magical person is born, let alone who they are and who their parents are." I blink, recognizing Mei-Xing's words, and how they'd prompted me to make the fake identity of 'Marie Masen'.

"That's a terrible system," Harry says, appalled, "I'm not even a politician and I realize that!"

"It is remarkably short-sighted," Luna agrees, "but it will help you get Snape a new identity and then he can vanish like the ghost everyone believes him to be."

"I'll talk to Ron and Hermione, but that seems like the best plan," Harry says, thoughtfully. "Do you think you could keep him until we've got everything organized?"

"He's still in the process of healing, so he can just stay in the medical coma until it's all ready for him to disappear." Luna confirms. 

"Thank you, Bella," Harry says, turning to me. "Thank you for saving him. I owe Snape my life, and now I actually feel like I'm on my way to repay that debt."

"Defeating his almost killer and saving the entirety of Wizarding Britain wasn't enough?" I ask, amused, and Harry grins sheepishly.

"Well... maybe. I'm still glad he's alive."

Watching as he leaves, heading back to the ball-room, I take a few seconds to admire him, and no- not his body, just him as a person, before turning back to Luna.

"Are you tired?" I ask.

"A bit," she hums, "You?"

"I feel like I could sleep through the next two days." I tell her, and she giggles.

"I hope not- you've got finals starting tomorrow." 

"Why does everyone keep reminding me of that?" I ask, despairingly. She just giggles again.

Edward is waiting for me at my front door when we get back, and he helps me out of the lacy, uncomfortable ball-gown and all the other bits and pieces (including the damn push-up bra that's been hurting me all night) and into my pajamas. I'm grateful for his help, because I feel like a giant walking, talking bruise with a head still foggy from champagne. 

We happily moved to the bed, me tucking up under the covers, while he sits up, leaning against the headboard. I feel like an overly affectionate cat almost, and run my cheek against the hard muscle of his chest for amusement.

I fall asleep to Edward humming my lullaby as he gently picks the pins out of my hair.

 

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the two updates! Next chapter should be up in a week, and then it's Easter holidays so I should have some extra writing time on my hands.**   
**~ _Cheshire Carroll_**


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:**

 

I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, heart stopping with fear and tears on my face. Cackling, high-pitched laughter lingered in my ears, as did the screaming and the thump of dead bodies. Ghost faces flashed before my eyes and whispers of unquiet spirits egged me forwards while pulling me back. 

I hadn't been dreaming of a specific event; it had been a combination of all the horrific things that had happened to or before me, but it had ended with two words.  _Avada Kedavra._

My stomach twisted violently and I barely noticed Edward supporting me as I lunged for the bathroom and emptied it. I was shaking and shivering, and he was trying to soothe me but all I could see was Sue's lifeless face in that coffin, all I could smell was smoke and blood. 

Some part of me noted that I was having a panic attack, even as my legs stopped supporting me. I couldn't stand, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. 

My face is practically numb, but I can still feel the icy cold of lips on my forehead.

It takes nearly ten minutes for my panic to recede and I'm exhausted and shivering, but my heart rate has slowed and I can breathe properly again. Edward, who's holding me cradled to his chest, looks relieved beyond words.

"Can you speak now?" he asks gently and I nod, tiredly, resting heavily on him. He kisses my forehead and stands up, easily lifting me and carrying me back to my bedroom where he lays me gently on the bed, tucking me under the covers before laying down next to me, on top of the thick blankets. 

"I suppose we should have expected the nightmares," he says, quietly.

"Yeah." I agree, my voice just as quiet. He strokes my sweaty forehead with his icy hands and I lean into the touch. "Thank you. For being here." I tell him, and he looks at me, golden eyes burning with sincerity.

"Forever."

-

I groaned as I was dragged kicking and screaming from Morpheus' sweet grasp, opening my eyes to a plate of pancakes covered with strawberries and whipped cream. I blink, staring at the tower of sweet soft red fruits blearily, my mind still half-asleep. Edward lets go of the shoulder he was lightly shaking to wake me up, and smiles. "Good morning, love." 

"Wazime?" I yawn.

"Pardon?" He asks, amused.

"What's the time?" I repeat, this time more legibly. 

"It's seven thirty." He says and my eyes widen with horror. 

"Why am I awake this early?" I demand and he has the nerve to laugh, eyes alight with mischief. 

"Finals start today," he says, and I groan- loudly. 

"Great. Just great." I say, sourly. 

After I've eaten the pancakes Edward kisses me then leaves for his house. His whole giving me privacy while I get dressed is something I don't exactly understand seeing as he's seen me naked—and on more then one occasion—but I just accept it as part of how he was raised. 

I'm tired and my body feels heavy as I pull on a pair of jeans and a white button up shirt. I pause mid-buttoning and frown. Against the stark white material of my shirt, I can't help but notice how my nails look sort of yellow-ish. Jaundice, my brain supplied me with, and my frown deepens as I pull on a red cardigan over the white shirt, the red material not contrasting the way the white did. 

As I go into the bathroom, I examine my eyes up close in the mirror. It's not obvious and I'd have missed it if I wasn't looking for it exactly, but there was a slight yellow tinge to the whites. 

My blood sugar levels must be really low, I realized, and I decided to buy some juice, and maybe glucose tablets if the juice didn't show any improvements. I should probably ask Qiang to give me a check-up when she arrived back in America too, I thought with a sigh at the thought of an impending scolding for getting myself injured. 

After brushing my teeth I carefully rolled up my cardigan and shirt, revealing the long, thick scar down my left side. Carlisle had provided me with anti-scarring gel that was supposed to help reduce the keloid, making them softer, smoother and less noticeable- not that this one would  _ever_  be anything less then noticeable, no matter how soft or smooth it was, I can't help but think a touch bitterly. 

I bit down hard on my lip as I gingerly applied the gel for the first time. The contact with the scar increased the general throbbing which had yet to fade into a stabbing pain that had me inhale sharply, and I took several quick, shallow breaths as I quickly spread the gel. 

The toilet was next, and I sat down on the cold seat, slumping slightly and rubbing my eyes. Seeing as I was half dozing, it took me a few minutes to realize I didn't actually need to go, which was sort of weird because this was the usual time I emptied my bladder.

Putting it down to anxiety about today's upcoming exam, I stood up and flushed anyway, washing my hands before moving back to my bedroom. A check of the clock told me that Edward would be returning to pick me up in his car in about ten minutes, so I lay back down on the bed, deciding to close my eyes just for a moment.

"Bella?  _Bella_?" 

"Huh?" I blinked several times, Edward's face coming into focus above me. "Edward?" 

"You fell back asleep, love." He said as my mind struggled to figure out what was going on. 

"Oh," I realize, pushing myself back up. Edward holds out a hand that I accept, letting him help tug me to my feet. 

"Are you okay, love? You seem quite tired." He says, concerned, and I shake my head. 

"Just catching up on some sleep." I tell him.

-

Stepping out of the Volvo, into the school car park, my first impression was that it was a mistake to come. That impression didn't change as the week continued. 

The anxiety I'd felt at the funeral and Order of Merlin ceremony had returned, and without the Calming potion every loud noise had me either jump or freeze. Fear prickled continuously along my spine, sending flecks of ice through my veins that left me at times unable to stop shivering. Both the open space of the school grounds and then the boxed-in classrooms left me feeling vulnerable and tense in a way they never had before.

Even Edward's constant presence beside me did little to calm the panic clawing under the surface, fighting to take over, to leave me curled up in a corner, rocking and crying and reflexively cursing anything that moved. 

The stress had left me tired and queasy with a semi-constant headache and a rash, and my back hurt from all the sitting in the straight-backed chairs. 

Katie sat two rows in front of me during the exams we shared, and I found my eyes continuously flick over to her slight figure, bent over her exam paper, almost as a way to reassure myself. Her missing arm had gained her many stares and hushed whispers, but no one had actually asked her what happened- something I was aware of due to the fact Angela snapped and snarled as fiercely as a vampire whenever anyone tried to approach her girlfriend. 

After the first day back especially, I seriously considered just ditching finals. Really, I had. But I was stubborn, and the scared creature shying at her classmates was  _not_  who I was, and  _not_  who I'd give in to- ever. 

I was beyond mere determination that this wouldn't be forever; I'd work through it with my family and those that I loved as Edward and I carved out our own little niche in the world, side-by-side. 

Edward and Alice protected me from curious students, like Angela protected Katie. When Mike tried approaching me after the English exam Alice had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and literally growled at him, baring her sharp, too-white teeth in his direction. He'd turned almost grey, his instincts screaming at him what his mind could not process, stumbling away from her, running like a dog with its tail between its legs. 

I had six exams I needed to sit, four the first week and two the second. The finals stretched over three weeks, ending on the Wednesday of the third week, and then Friday was graduation. 

After the first week, Friday night I collapsed on my bed and slept nearly fifteen hours straight until Edward actually woke me up, his face tight and anxious. 

"Are you feeling alright?" He kept asking, to which I'd honestly reply that I felt exhausted, drained, the scar along my scar ached something fierce and all my stressing had given me a rash. Edward had Carlisle write up a prescription for me for some kind of medical ointment that was supposed to sooth and treat rashes, but I personally felt it did little good. 

I'd had four more nightmares that ended with me crying, and two of those had devolved into panic attacks that Edward had soothed me through. 

I didn't see Luna much now that she'd moved in with the Cullens, so busy with the stress of finals, but I did catch a few minutes with her every day as Edward dropped Alice off back at the Cullen's manor-like house after school. 

Biology was my last final, and Edward and I spent the whole weekend when I wasn't sleeping revising for the two and a half hour exam on Wednesday. 

Impossibly, even after sleeping in as long as I wanted to, I found I was still exhausted. I could tell Edward was getting more and more worried, but I couldn't bring myself to really be bothered by it. The stress of finals and the severe anxiety I was experiencing left me exhausted- I wasn't surprised I was sleeping so much, though I did think that I should feel more rested after my fifteen hours on Friday night, and then nearly fourteen Saturday night, having dozed off on the couch at around nine pm and not waking until past eleven am in my own bed, either Charlie or Edward having carried me to my bedroom.

After a late breakfast- or early lunch, really- I apparated over to the Cullen's manor-like home. The Cullens had gone hunting, Luna was tending to a comatose Snape, and I migrated up to Edward's room to do some studying on my own, which was almost worse then revising with my slave-driver fiancé because at least his presence gave me actual motivation to force myself to do the work. I had just seriously started to consider setting my biology textbook on fire, when I heard Malfoy groan. It wasn't the sort of groan that meant he was enjoying himself a little too much while I was only one room away, either.

I cautiously opened the door to the room next to Edward's where Malfoy was staying. The platinum-blond older boy was tossing and turning in the bed. He was tangled in the sheets, his normal pale face was flushed and wet, and his mouth was twisted into some sort of terrible grimace. I cringed as he let out a choked groan, his whole body shaking as if trapped in the grip of some terrible nightmare.

And he was crying, I realized with a start; he was crying in his sleep. For a long moment I just stood there, not sure what to do as I stared across at the distressed older boy. A part of me wanted to turn around and leave him to suffer, to be tortured by his subconscious mind. Unfortunately, that part was overshadowed by my conscience. 

How frustrating. 

I crossed the room and grabbed Malfoy's shoulder, shaking it. It took a minute or two to fully pull him out of the nightmare, and when he jolted up into a sitting position, he was making gasping noises, body shaking violently. He buried his head in his hands and I could hear the strangled sobs he was trying to repress. 

Sighing, I sat down on the edge of his bed. "Want to talk about it?" I offer, after a pause. 

"Not really." He says, hoarsely, eyes still hidden by his hands, not meeting mine.

"Good." I mutter. "Because angsting with you is quite frankly the last thing I feel like doing." 

"Then why did you even come in here?" He looks up now and meets my gaze, all gaunt and swollen-eyed, but with the tears now under control. 

"It's called human decency. You should look into it." He looks down, and I can see the shame clear on his face. 

"I don't blame you. For hating me." He says, quietly. "I hate me too. I don't know what she sees in me." 

"That makes two of us." 

"But I'm selfish." He continues like I haven't spoken, looking up again to meet my eyes, this time with a steel in the grey present that he'd lacked a moment ago. "I should leave, get as far away from her as I can. Let her fall for someone like Longbottom, someone who's brave and courageous and  _good_ \- someone she deserves. Someone worthy of her. But I can't- I need her. She makes me feel human; she gives me strength I don't realize I have. She makes me the best person I can be. I love her."

"It's the ones we love we hurt the most." I warn him, agitatedly tugging on the end of my ponytail. The spacey bedroom suddenly feels like a coffin; too small, too dark, too stale. "If you hurt her, I will kill you. I will actually kill you." I tell him, and I'm not exaggerating. He meets my hard gaze, calm and accepting. He doesn't need words and neither do I. I stand, giving him a sharp nod before leaving the room. 

-

Monday morning was a bad one. I'd had a nightmare and when Edward gently shook my shoulder to wake me up in the morning for school I had to resist the temptation to ignore him, to curl myself tighter and never leave my bed. Instead I forced myself to wrap frail bravery around my shoulders and stand up. My throat was sore and when I started coughing Edward was instantly checking my temperature. I batted half-heartedly at his hand, but didn't really care. He looked worried. 

"You don't have a temperature, but you look unwell," he says, which feels like the understatement of the century. 

"Stress lowers the immune system," I mumble, wincing and rubbing my throat. "I think I've picked up some sort of bug. My throat hurts, but that could just be from the... dream." Screaming during my sleep was something I knew I'd done before, and even though no one had told me if I had, I'd bet I was screaming myself hoarse before finally waking up when the nightmare released me from its iron shackles. 

"Three more days and then you can sleep all you want, or we can curl up on the couch with soup and a blanket and watch movies and read." Edward promises and I sigh in relief. 

The exam finishes a little before lunch, and I'm poking the food on my plate with my fork, not actually eating it, though I did have a yoghurt earlier to help with my throat, when Alice perched on the side of the table.

"I have foreseen," she began in an ominous tone. Edward threw an elbow towards her ribs which she neatly dodged. "Fine," she grumbled, "Edward is making me do this, but I did foresee that you would be more difficult if I surprised you."

"In English?" I requested, trying not to yawn and offend her. 

"Don't be a baby about this," she orders, "no tantrums."

"Now I'm scared." I say, already resigned.

"So you're—I mean  _we're_ —having a graduation party. It's no big thing. Nothing to freak out over. But I saw that you would freak out if I tried to make a surprise party," she danced out of the way as Edward reached over to muss her hair, "and Edward said I had to tell you. But it's nothing. Promise." 

I sighed heavily. "Is there any point in arguing?"

"None at all." 

"I'll be there. And I'll hate every minute of it. Promise." I said, darkly, and she beamed.

"That's the spirit! By the way, I love my gift. You shouldn't have."

"Alice, I didn't." I point out and she giggles.

"Oh, I know that. But you will."

I tried to rack my foggy brain in panic, straining to remember what I could have decided to get her for graduation that she might have seen, but I was coming up empty. 

"Amazing," Edward says, beside me. "How can someone so tiny be so annoying?" 

Alice laughed. "It's a talent." She then frowns. "You look like crap, Bella. Make sure you get better in time for the party, I can only do so much to make you look glamorous- you have to put in some of the work yourself." I roll my eyes, not taking offense as I can clearly hear the teasing in her voice, even underlined with concern.

"It's just a bug," I say. As if waiting for that exact moment, my stomach rolls violently and, knowing that I won't make it to the bathroom in time and desperately wanting to avoid making a huge scene (and mess) in the cafeteria in front of so many people, I grab Alice's handbag. I take a second to hold it upside down, emptying its contents on the table, before vomiting into the designer bag with a price tag that would undoubtedly make me faint with shock. 

I ignored Alice's indignant squawking, too busy heaving up what felt like my entire stomach lining. When I finally stop retching, I push the bag away and let my head rest tiredly on the table. I don't know if anyone's staring or not, and in this moment I don't even care. I feel like absolute crap; my headache is back, my chest feels tight, my throat hurts even worse then it did this morning and my back is radiating pain up and down my spine. 

"I'll take her home," I hear Edward murmur, and I tiredly let him led me out of the cafeteria, picking me up once we're out of sight of our curious peers. 

I'm asleep before we even reach the Volvo and when I wake up its several hours later and I'm in bed. Some wonderful, kind, thoughtful, saint-like soul put advil and a glass of water on my bedside table and I swallow the medication gratefully before shakily getting to my feet as my bladder feels like it's going to burst, the uncomfortable sensation that woke me up in the first place. 

I make it into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me, before the dizziness really hits. It feels like my head is getting smaller by the second and my eyes feel like they're going to bounce out of my skull. I grab the sink for balance, trying to take deep, calming breaths, but my breathing just comes faster and gets caught in my raw throat despite my best efforts to steady it. I cough and cough and cough until blood begins to splatter on the white ceramic of the sink. 

That's the point where I finally realized something was seriously wrong, but the strength was sapping from my body alarmingly fast, and I hit the tiles with a thump. A strangled yelp of pain escaped as my left side exploded in pain along the scar, white-hot and agonizing and like it had been ripped open again, and I could  _hear_  Bellatrix's insane laughter drowning out my own scream. 

There were white spots in my vision as I started up my coughing again, and I couldn't breathe and there was  _blood-too-much-blood_. The seizure that hit me—hard—had my limbs jerking spasmodically; I was already soaked in sweat but as I lost control of my sphincters, my bladder gave out and I was choking on my own saliva, blood and stomach acids. Tears mixed with blood and mucus, and my head hit the floor with a sickening smack, one, twice,  _thrice_. It only got worse before it started easing off, but I couldn't even find it within myself to feel relieved, to feel anything but pain and exhaustion. 

Something was terribly wrong, was horribly, horribly bad; something that I'd missed, that we'd  _all_  missed. 

And I was pretty sure that I was dying. I could feel in my chest, in the roaring in my ears, my heart struggling to beat, so staggered and slow. Different muscles twitched from stabs of pain. Only trace amounts of air came and left my lungs as I fought to take haggard breaths. Slowly... slowly I could feel everything begin to stop working. 

The door was literally ripped off its hinges and cold hands were lifting me. My vision was sort of blurry, and I thought it might be a concussion, but I knew whose arms were holding me, the chest I was pressed against; I knew them as well as I knew my own body. 

"Shh, just hold on sweetheart," my angel's voice was crooning, and I listened to those soft words.

I could hear the wind, but I was tucked into my protector's chest, protected (always protected, always loved). Then we weren't outside anymore, we were somewhere that smelt sharp and clean. 

"Edward, you need to let go," a familiar voice, Carlisle, said, firmly. 

"What's wrong with her?" Edward growled.

"The blood-work came back," Carlisle says, and my foggy brain struggles to focus, wondering when I'd given a blood sample, then realizing Edward must have taken it while I was unconscious. "It... it wasn't good, son." Carlisle's voice is suddenly grave, and Edward lets out a fierce growl. "There's a high level of toxicity in her blood- from the toxicity levels, the symptoms you've given me, and the seizure Alice saw in her vision, my professional opinion is that different systems in her body are shutting down." 

Edward makes a furious sound, even as he places me gently on a surface that feels soft, malleable; a mattress, I think. My eyelids are too heavy to open, and I stop fighting them.   
  


"How did this happen?" Edward demands. 

"Unless someone's given her arsenic, then my guess is she was poisoned somehow during the battle." Carlisle says, and I want to open my eyes, to talk, to demand what he's talking about, but instead I cough weakly, blood splattering down my chin, and cool hands turn my head so I don't choke on my own blood.

"Luna's getting Qiang," Carlisle said, grimly. "There's nothing I can do for her, even if I had the finest medical equipment and the world's most talented surgeons by my side."

"How did this happen so quickly?" Edward asks; frustrated, frantic,  _desperate_. "Surely the progression should have been slower, or the symptoms presented themselves quicker. She went from having a sore throat to coughing up blood in under twelve hours!" 

"That is an unnatural and unlikely progression, but we have to realize that there are new rules, Edward. For all we know, this could be perfectly natural development in symptoms for whatever's poisoned her for a witch. Bella has barely been around Luna, let alone seen a trained Healer. We should have realized that the physical check-up I gave her wouldn't account for any spell-damage."

_No_! I want to tell him, to scream at him; it's not his fault, I should have thought to see a Healer. Without any immediately threatening injuries I'd been perfectly content to wait for Qiang, while under my skin a curse worked to poison me, killing me from the inside. 

As if reacting to my thoughts, my body started to shake violently, my muscles going into spasms. There's a brief prick of pain in my upper arm and then cold hands are just barely touching my shoulders, before they're removed. "Why can't I touch her?" Hissed Edward, reacting to something Carlisle thought. 

"You can't hold down someone having a seizure- you'll hurt them more. We wait it out. I've given her the acetazolamide, it shouldn't last any longer then ninety seconds." Carlisle said, voice calm, but over the roaring of blood in my ears I could hear the undertones of stress. 

He's right, my body does stop its movements but I can barely breathe anymore my chest feels so tight, and my already slow, uneven heartbeat starts faltering as my body is deprived of oxygen. Carlisle curses softly. "I'm going to have to attach a ventilator." He says. 

Cold air brushes against my ear as Edward pleads, "Please keep breathing, Bella!" I try to do as he says, which becomes infinitely easier when tubes are inserted in my nose and I don't have to work so hard anymore. I can feel Edward's lips pressing against my forehead. "Oh Bella," he whispers, sounding tortured.

"Edward," Carlisle says and Edward is suddenly standing and snarling fiercely. 

"No!" 

"Edward," Carlisle's voice is gently rebuking. "You must look at every possibility. Bella is dying. With every minute that passes, her body is further poisoning itself as it shuts down. Her respiratory system has practically failed, her renal, gastrointestinal and neurological systems are well on their way to failure, and her blood is practically a toxic substance by now."

"I know that!" Edward says, furious. 

"Son, our venom could be the only solution. This is advancing so rapidly, impossibly so by normal standards, that there's nothing I can do outside of trying to keep her heart beating- except for turning her." 

"You don't understand," Edward sounds tortured, "she doesn't  _want_  to be Turned, Carlisle."

"What?" Carlisle sounds shocked. "But- you're engaged! If she isn't Turned, then even if she survives this, she'll only have another approximately sixty-five years!"

"If she's Turned she loses her magic." Edward says it so quietly that I barely hear it. 

"She won't give up her magic for you?" Carlisle asks, and Edward snarls again, furious-sounding, and I want to snarl too.

Of course I'd give up my magic for him! I'd give it up in a second and without hesitation! I'd do anything for Edward- I'd  _die_  for him, and I'd  _live_  for him too- if that meant losing my magic and becoming a crystallized predator then I'd do it in a heartbeat (which, in reflection, isn't the best choice of words). 

"Bella is the most selfless person I know," Edward's voice is furious, "and for those she loves, she'll give up everything without even thinking twice. And that's why she doesn't want to be Turned, because if she is Turned, she can't protect us from her monsters. I don't know what she's thinking now that the Battle of Hogwarts is over, but I do know that I would never forgive myself if I went against what she's said she wants, ripping away a part of her that's as precious as her heart."

"I am sorry, Edward." Carlisle says, genuinely apologetic. "I worded that badly. Forgive me." Edward doesn't say anything, just sits back down beside me, running cool, slender fingers along my sweaty, heated forehead. 

The exhaustion is starting to take over, and I'm drifting in and out of awareness, picking up the briefest snippets of conversation. The last thing I really remember is Edward's cool lips brushing against my forehead. 

 


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:**

  
  


**_Washington, Seattle: Bree Tanner_ **

_"Is it time?" Riley asked eagerly._

_Our creator's answer came back fast, like a slap. "No! I haven't decided when."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"You don't need to. It's enough for you to know that our enemies have great powers. We cannot be too careful." Her voice softened, turned sugary again. "But all twenty-two still alive. Even with what they are capable of... what good will it be against twenty-two?" She let out a tinkling little laugh. Diego and I had not looked away from each other throughout al this, and I could see in his eyes now that his thoughts were the same as mine. Yes, we'd been created for a purpose, as we'd guessed. We had an enemy. Or, our creator had an enemy. Did the distinction matter?_

_"Decisions, decisions," she muttered. "Not yet. Maybe one more handful, just to be sure."_

_"Adding more might actually decrease our numbers," Riley cautioned hesitantly, as if being careful not to upset her. "It's always unstable when a new group is introduced."_

_"True," she agreed, and I imagined Riley sighing in relief that she was not upset._

_Abruptly Diego looked away from me, staring out across the meadow. I hadn't heard any movement from the house, but maybe she had come out. My head whipped around at the same time the rest of me turned to a statue, and I saw what had startled Diego._

_Four figures were crossing the open field to the house. They had entered the clearing from the west, the point farthest from where we hid. They all wore long, dark cloaks with deep hoods, so at first I thought they were people. Weird people, but just humans al the same, because none of the vampires I knew had matching Goth clothes. And none moved in a way that was so smooth and controlled and... elegant. But then I realized that none of the humans I'd ever seen could move that way, either, and what's more, they couldn't do it so quietly. The dark-cloaks skimmed across the long grass in absolute silence. So either these were vampires, or they were  something else supernatural. Ghosts, maybe. But if they were vampires, they were vampires I didn't know, and that meant they might very well be these enemies she was talking about. If so, we should get the hell out of Dodge right now, because we didn't have twenty other vampires on our side at the moment._

_I almost took off then, but I was too afraid to draw the attention of the cloaked figures._

_So I watched them move smoothly forward, noticing other things about them. How they stayed in a perfect diamond formation that never was the slightest bit out of line no matter how the terrain changed under their feet. How the one at the point of the diamond was much smaller than the others, and its cloak was darker, too. How they didn't seem to be tracking their way in- not trying to follow the path of any scent. They simply knew their way. Maybe they were invited._

_They moved directly toward the house, and I felt like it might be safe to breathe again when they started silently up the steps toward the front door. They weren't coming straight for Diego and me, at least. When they were out of sight, we could disappear into the sound of the next breeze through the trees, and they would never know we'd been here._

_I looked at Diego and twitched my head slightly toward the way we'd come. He narrowed his eyes and held up one finger. Oh great, he wanted to stay. I rolled my eyes at him, though I was so afraid, I was surprised I was capable of sarcasm. We both looked back to the house. The cloaked things had let themselves in silently, but I realized that neither she nor Riley had spoken since we'd caught sight of the visitors. They must have heard something or known in some other way that they were in danger._

_"Don't bother," a very clear, monotone voice commanded lazily. It was not as high-pitched as our creator's, but it still sounded girlish to me. "I think you know who we are, so you must know that there is no point in trying to surprise us. Or hide from us. Or fight us. Or run." A deep, masculine chuckle that did not belong to Riley echoed menacingly through the house._

_"Relax," instructed the first inflectionless voice- the cloaked girl. Her voice had that distinctive ring that made me certain she was a vampire, not a ghost or any other kind of nightmare. "We're not here to destroy you. Yet." There was a moment of silence, and then some barely audible movements. A shifting of positions._

_"If you are not here to kill us, then... what?" our creator asked, strained and shrill._

_"We seek to know your intentions here. Specifically, if they involve... a certain local clan," the cloaked girl explained. "We wonder if they have anything to do with the mayhem you've created here. Illegally created."_

_Diego and I frowned simultaneously. None of this made sense, but the last part was the weirdest. What could be illegal for vampires? What cop, what judge, what prison could have power over us?_

_"Yes," our creator hissed. "My plans are all about them. But we can't move yet. It's tricky." A petulant note crept into her voice at the end._

_"Trust me, we know the difficulties better than you. It is remarkable that you've managed to keep off the radar, so to speak, for this long. Tell me" - a hint of interest colored the monotone - "how are you doing it?" Our creator hesitated, and then spoke al in a rush. Almost as if there had been some silent intimidation._

_"I haven't made the decision," she spit out. Then she added more slowly, unwillingly, "To attack. I've never decided to do anything with them."_

_"Rough, but effective," the cloaked girl said. "Unfortunately, your period of deliberation has come to a close. You must decide- now- what you will do with your little army." Both Diego's and my eyes widened at that word. "Otherwise, it will be our duty to punish you as the law demands. This reprieve, however short, troubles me. It is not our way. I suggest you give us what assurances you can... quickly."_

_"We'll go at once!" Riley volunteered anxiously, and there was a sharp hiss._

_"We'll go as soon as possible," our creator amended furiously. "There is much to do. I assume you wish us to succeed? Then I must have a little time to get them trained- instructed- fed!"_

_There was a short pause._

_"Seven days. We will come for you then. And there is no rock you can hide under or speed at which you can flee that will save you. If you have not made your attack by the time we come, you will burn." This was said with no menace other than an absolute certainty._

_"And if I have made my attack?" our creator asked, shaken._

_"We'll see," the cloaked girl answered in a brighter tone than she'd used yet. "I suppose that all depends on how successful you are. Work hard to please us." The last command was given in a flat, hard pitch that made me feel a strange chill in the center of my body._

_"Yes," our creator snarled._

_"Yes," Riley echoed in a whisper._

-

-

Consciousness comes back in bits and pieces. 

First it's the feeling of being held in stone arms. 

Later it's a quiet voice; I don't remember the words.

A ray of sun, streaming on my face.

Tugging sensations as someone braids flowers in my hair (they smell like oranges).

A hand circling my wrist, skin so hot it almost burns, thumb brushing against where my pulse flutters under my skin.

Small, icy fingers trailing along my forehead. 

A chair being dragged across floorboards.

Beautiful eyes that meet mine the moment they first open, and even in my groggy state, blinking several times to try and bring the world into focus, I recognize them.

The irises are inky black, indistinguishable from the pupil, and the purple underneath them is darker then I've ever seen it; not even in Italy did my vampire look so starved. 

"Hey you," I murmur, and a soft, relieved smile curves his lips. 

"Bella," he breathes my name, leaning down to press his icy lips against mine. There's no urgency, no rush- as kisses go, it was chaste, a brushing of lips, but the overwhelming emotion in it almost took my breath away. 

"You look really Thirsty," I lift my hand to touch my fingertips to the purple bruises. He gives a weak smile.

"I wouldn't leave your side." 

"Sweet Merlin, I love you, you wonderful man." I tell him, "I don't know how it's possible that you exist, or what I did to deserve you." He laughs, obviously in disbelief, but I don't care, because I know that he is the closest thing to my perfect second half that exists on this planet.

Edward lifts my hand away from his face, gently kissing my knuckles, before lowering it, our hands clasped together on his lap. 

"So," he murmurs softly, "you have an important choice to make, love." For a moment I think he's talking about me being Turned into a vampire. I remember his conversation with Carlisle and make a note that when we're somewhere private (I don't know who could be listening to this) I'll make sure it's clear to him that if I'm ever in a situation like that again, he can Turn me. 

"What important decision?" I ask, nervously, fighting my way through the cobwebs in my head so I can think clearly.

"Well," he says, seriously, though I can see the soft look in his eyes, "which news do you want to hear first- the good news, the bad news or the worse news?" 

"That order's fine." I tell him, slumping on my pillows, "I'd like to hear the good news before I get too depressed to really enjoy it."

"Well, the good news is you missed the biology final," Edward says, with a crooked smile, "Luna glamoured Rosalie to go sit it for you so you wouldn't have to deal with the fuss of re-sitting it."

"Oh thank Merlin," I can't help my smile. No more biology, ever again!  _Ever_! 

"The bad news," Edward's expression goes serious again, and the corners of my mouth tug down as I remember that I've now got two pieces of bad news to hear- well, 'bad' news and 'worse' news, which isn't very comforting at all. "The bad news is that Victoria's finally decided on a date- it's within a week from Friday." I shudder at the unpleasant reminder of the army of freshly turned vampires loyal to a leader whose current sole purpose in her unlife is to kill me, and as many of my loved ones as possible while she's at it. 

"There's worse news then that?" I ask, incredulously. 

"Much worse," Edward says, but his face isn't so serious now, the hard edges of his expression somewhat softened, which just serves to confuse me.   

"What is it?" I ask in trepidation. 

"You've woken up in time for Alice's graduation party," Edward says, with a perfectly straight face. 

" _What_?" I ask, my voice shrill enough it actually cracks. Edward's instantly passing me a glass of water which I gulp down eagerly. 

"Today is Thursday," Edward explains, as he places down the now empty glass. 

"Thursday?" I ask, numbly. "I've been unconscious for two days?"

"Ah, nine actually." Edward corrects. "All the exams finished today." 

I try to wrap my brain around the fact I'd be unconscious so long, but the first thing I can think to say is; "You haven't fed for  _over_   _nine days_?" 

"I can endure mild discomfort to stay by your side as you fight for your life, Bella," Edward says, and his face is so sincere that I forget to be angry at my sweet, sweet man. 

"You are ridiculous," I tell him, even as I tug our joined hands back towards me, raising them to rest my cheek against his cool skin. "My ridiculous, ridiculous husband-to-be." He laughs softly, and I sigh happily, just relaxing into this peaceful moment. 

I doze off, and when I wake up again, it's Qiang who's leaning over me, prodding my cheek with her wand. "Good, you're awake," she says, briskly.

"Qiang?" I ask, sleepily. She prods me again. "Ow!" I complain, and she narrows her eyes at me. 

"You were cursed by one of the Darkest witches of our time, and you didn't think to ask me to look at it?" she demands, and I cringe back into my pillow.

"I was giving you time to be with your family!" I protest. Qiang glowers fiercely.

"I'd already lost Sue to that monster and his followers, then you made me almost lose you too!" She snaps, "I would have had no problem coming and making sure you were physically well, you foolish, reckless girl!" It finally clicks to me why she's so angry- she was worried, and not just worried about a patient, but... as a  _friend_.   

"I'm sorry, Qiang," I tell her, earnestly. "I know I did the wrong thing, and I am so sorry. Worrying everyone is the last thing I ever want to do." 

"You seem to be making a habit of it, anyway," Qiang says, sharply, and I cringe again, guilt pooling inside me, and her expression softens. "You have good intentions, Bella, but you need to be more careful." She says, and I nod, shamed. 

"She's awake again?" I look around at the new voice, and wonder for a moment if I'm hallucinating as Hermione Granger walks into the room. Hermione is dressed in jeans and a sweater, her hair pulled back from her face, and she smiles at me, looking relieved. "How are you feeling?" she asks, hurrying over to my side. 

"Good. I mean, really confused, but good." She laughs, and the sound is filled with relief. 

"Luna asked Harry and I for help, when Dr. Li couldn't figure out how to fight the curse in your body," she explains, "Luna was hoping that if Qiang knew which curse had been used and how I'd patched you up during the battle, she'd be able to figure out a cure. Harry brought over the pensieve so Dr. Li could witness it first-hand, then she and I worked on creating a cure."

"The curse Lestrange hit you with was a hybrid of two very nasty curses." Qiang speaks up again, "we had to dismantle the spell and create a cure for it while keeping you alive, which certainly wasn't easy with your blood turned to poison, and all the important organs and systems shutting down."

"The Dark magic in the curse should have gone into effect and poisoned you much quicker," Hermione explains as I shudder, "It's a failsafe, in case the immediate wound and blood loss doesn't kill the receiver. The Essence of Dittany fought the effects, but it wasn't strong enough, and when it eventually dissipated, the Dark magic had full reign to attack your body from the inside."

"An insidious piece of magic," Qiang says, and I can hear the fury in her voice, but it isn't directed at me. "I sent the Missus Weasley a fruit basket in thanks for ridding us all of the monster who cast it on you."

"Wait," alarm shoots through me, and I manage to push myself up into a sitting position, Hermione and Qiang both moving forwards to help me, Qiang giving the back of my hand a smack. I wince, apologize quickly, and then hurriedly ask, "Who watched the memory?" I can see the sudden understanding in Qiang's eyes. 

"Only Miss Granger and myself," she assures me. "And rest assured, we are both talented in guarding our minds, you silly, selfless girl." I look around, warily, and Qiang huffs a breath. "The room is silenced, Bella." 

"Oh good," I sigh, "I really didn't want Edward to have to see that- any of it." It's bad enough that he has to listen to my nightmares, calm my panic attacks and then have to witness what just happened- he doesn't need to see the actual battle, and I certainly don't want him seeing how I stepped in front of the curse for Luna. 

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Hermione says, gently. "You did a very noble thing, and at a great personal price." I shudder, my hand moving to gently brush against the scar. I'm surprised when sharp pain doesn't hit me at the contact, instead just a low throbbing. 

I push the sheets covering me down, grimace at the hospital gown I'm wearing, then move the stiff white material up to expose the scar. It's not inflamed anymore, and it doesn't look nearly as thick or red. 

"It won't fade much further," Hermione says, and I bite back the urge to snort, because at this point, one more scar isn't a big deal- I'm certainly not winning any beauty pageants, but that's fine, I don't need to. I'm alive, I'm in love, and I'm with my family. That's all I need. 

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" Hermione asks, and I give her a small smile. 

"I've just got one question- if I'm at home, why am I in a hospital gown?" Hermione laughs, and even Qiang gives an accommodating snort of amusement before answering, amused. 

"Dr. Carlisle was  _very_  thorough in his set up of this room. There's even a stack of bed-pans, should you need the bathroom at any point." I cringe as Hermione laughs harder, presumably at my horrified expression. 

Bed-pans; if I never have to use one of those again for the rest of my life, then I will die a happy woman.  

Hermione looks at her wristwatch, something small, silver and undeniably muggle, and grimaces slightly. "Snape will be awake by now," she says, and I blanch.

"Wh-what? Is he still here?" I ask, panicked. 

"Harry and M-Minerva are talking to him," Hermione says, quietly, stumbling slightly over Professor McGonagall's first name. "It still feels odd calling her that." She mutters quietly, mostly to herself. 

"I can't imagine calling Flitwick anything other then Flitwick," I admit, and she smiles, before sighing.

"Harry, Minerva and I worked together to set up a new identity for him," she explains, "Harry and Minerva will talk through it through with him, including details like explaining why 'Severus Snape' has to stay legally dead, and where a house for him has been set up." 

"So he's leaving today?" I ask, probably sounding a bit too eager. 

"Yes," Hermione confirms, and I let out a badly hidden sigh of relief. 

"I'm sorry," I tell her, "he just... I don't want him with my family. I- I get that he's on the side of Light, but... it's hard to overlook everything else."

"I know," Hermione sighs, running her fingers through her pony-tail. "It's why he has to stay dead- people won't accept him, and I don't blame them. He was never a nice man. A good man, maybe, but not a nice one."

"Are the trials for the Death Eaters going well?" I ask, and she lightens up. 

"Yes, all the surviving Inner Circle members have been sentenced according to the laws set by the International Confederation of Wizards. Minerva has been appointed a member of the ICW, and so has Kingsley after the Wizengamot voted him in as the official Minister of Magic. The ICW sent in two representatives to sit in on the trails, to ensure a fair outcome, and so far eleven Inner Circle members have been given the death penalty, and the rest life in prison with no chance of ever being released."

"Good," I say, fiercely. 

"Kingsley is already working big changes into the Ministry," Hermione continues, "the Wizengamot still consists of the Lords and Ladies of the Noble families, but he's going to model them after the muggle government, in that an equal amount of members will be voted in. Some of the old families won't be happy, but they can't afford not to be supportive of the government right now, and we're taking advantage of that."

"'We'?" I ask, with a smile, and Hermione goes pink.

"Well, until Hogwarts starts again, I'm serving as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Kingsley offered me the job permanently, but I plan on returning to complete my seventh year at Hogwarts." 

"Couldn't you do both? I mean, Umbridge," here both Hermione and I scowl identically, "was Fudge's Senior Undersecretary while she was also his plant in Hogwarts."  

"Kingsley pointed that out too," Hermione nods, "but I want to be able to give my full effort, to both my seventh year and to any post I hold in the Ministry."

"You're pretty amazing, Hermione." I tell her, and she goes pink again.

There's a knock and Qiang, whose presence I actually forgot, opens the door. Harry Potter sticks his head in. "Hi Bella, I'm glad you're feeling better," he greets me, before turning to Hermione. "He agreed to all the terms, and I've given him the Portkey." He told her, and she nodded, pulling out her wand. 

"I'll go tell Kingsley. I'm glad you're okay, Bella." She smiles at me, before apparating away with a soft pop. 

"Snape says thanks, by the way," Harry turns back to me again, "well," he pauses, "he  _implied_  it, anyway. In his way." I feel the blood drain from my face. "Bella?" Harry opens the door, stepping fully into the room, concerned. "Are you okay? Dr. Li?" He turns to Qiang, who rolls her eyes.

"She's panicking, not hurt." 

"Panicking?" He turns back to me. I'm trying to breathe properly through uncooperative lungs as I stare at Harry, horrified. 

"You told him about me?" I just about squeak, "he knows I was involved?" I wonder if I'm about to start hyperventilating, because it certainly feels like I am. 

Qiang strides over to me, the ends of the long, loose sleeves of her traditional Chinese embroidered robes brushing against the ground as she pushes them up to her elbows. The slap hurts, a sudden, stinging pain, but it serves its purpose, and I stop freaking out and start breathing properly again. 

"Snape- he- he knows that I...?" I look over at a chagrined Harry, who Qiang is glaring at.

"I... I apologize. He asked who was responsible for his continued ability to take breath, and I told him it was you, and a vampire trained as a surgeon." Harry says, quietly. I exhale, shakily. 

"He's gone, though, right? And he doesn't know where here is?" 

"Only that we're in America," confirms Harry, "and Minerva took the portkey with him, and she won't return his wand to him until they're at the house that's been set up for him." 

The tight ball of panic in my chest eases and I sigh in relief. It's like Hermione said; Snape might be a good man, but he isn't a nice man, and I don't have a single positive memory of him. Actually, no, I do have one memory- when Snape knocked Lockhart back on his arse in my first year, during that sham of a Dueling Club.

Harry bids his goodbye before leaving, and Qiang pats my hand briskly before sweeping out of the room. I'm alone for maybe ten, fifteen minutes before Edward and Alice both enter the room.

Alice practically skips over to my side and plants a kiss on my cheek. "You owe me a handbag," she says, "that was a  _Hilde Palladino_   _Gadino bag_ , Bella!"

"You know I'll never be able to afford that," I point out and she sniffs.

"You'll have to make it up to me in some other way then." 

"You've already got something in mind, don't you?" I ask, with a sinking heart. Edward chuckles softly under his breath as he picks up my other hand, gently brushing his lips against the palm. Alice smiles like a hungry cat. 

"Let me dress you up for graduation and the after party, and I'll forgive you for ruining my thirty-eight thousand dollar handbag."

" _Thirty-eight thousand_ \- Sweet Morgana, Alice!" I splutter, "How is it possible that a handbag costs that much? Why would you take a handbag that costs that much to school?" Alice just arches an eyebrow and flicks a speck of imaginary dust of her skirt. 

"Well?" she drawls. 

"Urgh! Fine!" I groan. In response, Alice smiles like the angel she most certainly  _isn't_.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:**   
  
  


"Hey Bells, good to see you on your feet," Jacob grins. 

"It's good to be on them too," I tell him.

After yet another snooze, Edward had asked if I wanted to join him and the rest of the Cullens to meet with the wolves for their practice session, which were scheduled to increase in frequency now that we finally had a date of the attack. He seemed reluctant to ask me to come along, but at the same time he seemed much more reluctant to leave me behind. 

As well as the dress Alice had tricked me into (I didn't believe for a  _second_  that was all she had in my size) I was bundled up in a thick coat that belonged to Rosalie, as well as a scarf, thick tights and genuine article ugg-boots. I felt really dorky, but I was warm. It was dark and cold outside, with the moon hidden behind the clouds. Everyone had met in the big, open field that the Cullens had once played baseball in, over a year ago; a light-hearted evening of fun that was interrupted by James and his coven. 

It almost felt strange to be here again – almost as if this gathering wouldn't be complete until James, Laurent and Victoria joined us, but James and Laurent were never coming back, and this meeting tonight was to ensure that after this coming battle, Victoria would never be coming back either. 

The wolves had arrived in the clearing around fifteen minutes after the Cullens came, all in wolf-form, and Jacob had made the doggy equivalent of a laugh at my blatant shock.

"Since when were there  _ten_  of you?" I asked him, after he'd ducked back behind a tree to phase back to his two-legged form, and then jog over to give me a tight hug. Jacob looks smug.

"I know, right? We're pretty freaking impressive." I laugh, shoving him lightly. 

"Shouldn't you be out practicing?" I ask

It's sort of terrifying, watching both parties practice fighting; both the wolves and the vampires are fast and lethal, and their movements are reduced to blurs half the time, instinctive snarls escaping the vampires while the wolves are growling and barking. The two groups are very careful to leave a large gap between them; fighting each other, even just mock fighting, was not a possibility with the wolves' lack of control. 

"Nah," Jacob says, sitting down and tugging on my hand so I fall down, half into his lap. "They've got it covered for tonight." I wiggle so I'm sitting more comfortably then lean back into the warmth of his chest. He rests his chin on my head, and I let out a soft sigh. "You sure you're alright, Bells?" Jacob asks, his voice quiet even though I'm aware everyone in this clearing can hear every word he's saying. 

"I'm still really tired," I admit.

"Then what are you doing here?" I can hear the frown in his voice, even when I'm facing away from him.

"I guess I needed some... assurance." I admit, quietly. "Seeing you all in action helps."

"Are you impressed?" he asks, sounding smug. I dig an elbow into his ribs, and he just snickers. 

"Somewhat."

"Just somewhat?" It's his turn to sound all huffy and my turn to laugh.

"Well, you're not quite as impressive as wrestling giants, but you're not half bad." 

"... okay, fine, wrestling giants do sound pretty cool." Jacob admits, and I laugh again, snuggling back into one of my best friends. 

In the warmth of his lap with his arms wrapped around me, I can feel the steady beating of his heart in his chest and I just drift off. When I wake up again, the deep black of the night is just beginning to fade, the sun brightening the clouds even though it hasn't cleared the horizon yet, far away on the other side of the mountains. Edward and Jacob are talking quietly and my neck feels stiff. 

"It's more complicated then that," Edward is saying. "Don't concern yourself; I'll make sure it's safe."

"What are you two talking 'bout?" I ask, with a yawn. 

"What's so complicated about it?" Jacob asks, like I haven't actually said anything. 

"I have to consider every possibility," Edward said, unruffled. "What if someone gets by you?"

Jacob snorted at that idea. "Okay, so leave her on the reservation. We're making Collin and Brady stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there."

"Are you guys talking about me right in front of me?" I ask, grumpily. 

"I just want to know what he plans to do with you during the fight," Jacob explained.

" _Do_  with me?"

"You can't stay in Forks, Bella." Edward's voice was pacifying. "They know where to look for you there. What if someone slipped by us?"

A jolt of fear goes through me. "Charlie," I mumble, mind racing. 

"He'll be with Billy," Jacob says quickly, interrupting my plans to send him far, far away- probably to China; I'm sure Qiang would have no problem putting him up for a few days. 

"I think I like China better," I say, to Edward's visible confusion. I'm still in Jacob's lap, so I can't see his expression, but I imagine it's just as confused. "Okay, La Push will do I guess." I say, reluctantly. 

"So what's wrong with Bells staying in La Push too?" Jacob interjected, impatient.

"She's been back and forth too much," Edward explains. "She's left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young vampires coming on the hunt, but to Victoria, this could all be a distraction. Alice will see if Victoria decides to look herself, but we could all be very busy at the time that decision is made, and she could very well be counting on that. Bella can't stay somewhere she's been frequently. She has to be hard to find."

"I could probably go to China," I muse, unable to help my grimace at the thought of being so far away.

"But will you?" Edward points out, and then quirks his lips at my expression. "No, I didn't think so." He says, gently. 

Jacob gestures to the deep forest east of us, to the vast expanse of the Olympic Mountains. "What about here," he suggests. "There's a million possibilities— places either one of us could be in just a few minutes if there's a need."

Edward shakes his head. "Her scent is too strong and, combined with mine, especially distinct. Even if I carried her, it would leave a trail. Our trace is all over the range, but in conjunction with Bella's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure exactly which path they'll take, because they don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us..." Edward grimaces, and Jacob's arm wrapped around my waist tightens. "You see the difficulties." Edward says, quietly. 

"No Forks, no La Push, close enough so that we can get to her but far away enough that the newborns don't run into her first, or catch her scent... there  _has_  to be a way to make the mountains work," Jacob mutters. 

I hold up a hand to Edward who helps me to my feet. I sway slightly, and Edward puts his arm around my waist, pulling me close and supporting my weight even as his noise wrinkles in distaste at the scent of wolf-shifter all over me.

Jacob is still facing the forest, eyebrows drawn together and lips pursed, deep in thought. 

"Do you want to go home?" Edward asks me, quietly. 

"Wait a sec," Jacob says, wheeling back to us, his eyes bright. "My scent disgusts you, right?"

"Well you could go easier on the aftershave," I say, a moment before Edward responds. 

"Hmm, not bad. It's certainly possible." Edward turned toward his family while Jacob shot me a disgruntled look for the aftershave comment. "Jasper?" Edward calls. Jasper looks up curiously. He walks over with Alice a half step behind. Her face was frustrated, presumably from the wolves messing up her visions. "Okay, Jacob." Edward nods at him.

"Up we go," Jacob grins at me, and I splutter as he picks me up, without so much as a warning. I let out a shriek of surprise, smacking his arm and wriggling, trying to get him to let go. He snickers. "Relax, your loss of dignity is for the greater good, Bells- we're practicing disguising your scent." He says, and I stop wriggling, instead crossing my arms across my chest and glaring at him. 

"You don't have to carry me like a baby, Jacob!"

"Well you're welcome to sit on my shoulders, but you should probably remember that you're wearing a skirt." Jacob winks and Edward lets out a little growl. I smack Jacob's arm again, my face going red. 

"Shut up," I glower, "let's just get this over with." 

We didn't go far; Jacob made a wide arc and came back into the clearing from a different direction, maybe half a football field away from our original departure point. Edward was there alone and Jacob headed toward him.

"You can put me down now."

"I don't want to take a chance of messing up the experiment." Jacob's grinning again, and I groan.

"You are  _so_  freaking  _annoying_! A dying snail walks faster then you! And it doesn't have legs! And it's  _dying_!" 

"Thanks." He replies cheerfully. 

Out of nowhere, Jasper and Alice appeared beside Edward. Jacob jogged the next few steps and then put me down, about four feet from Edward who immediately stepped forwards to take my hand. 

"Well?" I asked.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent," Jasper said, grimacing. "It was almost completely obscured."

"A definite success," Alice agreed, wrinkling her nose.

"And it gave me an idea." Jasper said.

"Which will work," Alice added confidently.

"Clever," Edward agreed.

"How do you stand that?" Jacob muttered to me.

"Practice." I muttered back. "And patience- loads of it." 

Edward turns to me to explain. "We're — well, you're — going to leave a false trail to the clearing, Bella. The newborns are hunting, your scent will excite them, and they'll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work. When they catch our scent, they'll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears..." he nods at Jacob who actually grins back at him, and the two of them trade actual smiles of true comradeship. 

I felt... sick. How could they be so eager for this? I wondered. I was  _dreading_  it.

"Not a chance," Edward said suddenly, his voice disgusted, his eyes were on Jasper.

"I know, I know," Jasper said quickly. "I didn't even consider it, not really." Alice stepped on his foot. "If Bella was actually there in the clearing," Jasper explained to her, "it would drive them insane. They wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but her. It would make picking them off truly easy..." Edward's glare had Jasper backtracking. "Of course it's too dangerous for her. It was just an errant thought," he said quickly. But he looked at me from the corner of his eyes, and the look was wistful.

"No," Edward said. His voice rang with finality.

"You're right," Jasper said. He took Alice's hand and started back to the others. "Best two out of three?" I heard him ask her as they went to practice again.

Jacob stared after him in disgust. "Hey," I warned him, kicking his ankle lightly. 

"Jasper looks at things from a military perspective," Edward quietly defended his brother too. "He looks at all the options — it's thoroughness, not callousness." Jacob snorted and I kicked him again.

Edward got back to business. "I'll bring her here next Friday afternoon to lay the false trail. You can meet us afterward, and carry her to a place I know. Completely out of the way, and easily defensible, not that it will come to that. I'll take another route there."

"And then what? Leave her with a cell phone?" Jacob asked critically.

"You have a better idea?" Edward asked. Jacob was suddenly smug. 

"Actually, I do."

"Oh... Again, not bad at all." Edward admitted grudgingly. I considered kicking  _him_  in the ankle this time. 

"We tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the younger two," Jacob explains to me. "He's still too young, but he's stubborn and he's resisting. So I thought of a new assignment for him — cell phone." I tried to look like I got it. No one was fooled.

"As long as Seth Clearwater is in his wolf form, he'll be connected to the pack," Edward explained. "Distance isn't a problem?" he added, turning to Jacob.

"Nope."

"Three hundred miles?" Edward asked. "That's impressive."

"That's the farthest we've ever gone to experiment," Jacob says. "Still clear as a bell."

I nodded along absently; I was reeling slightly from the surprise of little Seth Clearwater being a shifter, too. His enthusiasm at the council meeting bonfire suddenly took on new meaning.

"It's a good idea." Edward seemed reluctant to admit this, and I stood on his foot, knowing that, like Jacob, he wouldn't feel any sort of pain, but it was still mildly satisfying and it was a way to get my  _displeasure_  across. "I'll feel better with Seth there, even without the instantaneous communication. I don't know if I'd be able to leave Bella there alone."

"I'm not helpless, you know," I pointed out, "and if by some terrible chance Victoria does come across me somehow, I can always just apparate away." 

"Yes, I know you could," Edward nods, and I frown. 

"Then what's the problem?" I ask.

"Well,  _would_  you?" He arches an eyebrow. I open my mouth to reply indignantly, then hesitate. If Victoria showed up, would I really just run? After all, I could take on one vampire- I'd taken on both other members of her coven, after all, and won.

"Exactly," Edward interrupts my thoughts, and I give him a guilty look, knowing I've just confirmed his suspicions.

"Sorry." 

"Don't worry," the corner of Edward's mouth has turned up in a half-smile, "it isn't a surprise to me." 

"Still, I am sorry." I tell him, firmly, and he nods.

"Next practice, when you're feeling better, you're joining in." He says, decisively. "I want to see how you do against Jasper." 

Jacob lets out a sudden growl, the animalistic sound bizarre coming from his very human throat. Edward grimaces as he turns back to Jacob. "Believe me, I don't like the idea of it any better," he says, and both of them seem to wince as their eyes turn to track Jasper, who's currently got Emmett pinned down by the throat.

"But it's a good idea," Jacob reluctantly admits. "Maybe her friends should practice too." It's my turn to grimace. 

"I don't want them involved." I say, resolutely. "Katie's definitely not up to it- she lost her  _wand_  arm less then a month ago, she's not ready for any sort of battle, not without more time training then she can get in a week. Think- if you're right handed and you break your right hand, you can't write properly with your left hand straight away, and believe me; it's even  _more_  complicated then that when it comes to magic."

"Luna, then- you know she won't be staying away, and that limey she brought back with her doesn't seem like he'd sit back while she was in danger." Jacob points out. 

"Urgh," I grimace, thinking of Malfoy fighting a vampire at my side. "That's an unpleasant thought." I then sigh. "You're right about Luna." I'd never stay behind if she was in any sort of danger, and holding her to different standards would make me a hypocrite. "I'll talk to her, I'm sure she'll be happy to come along to the next what-ever this is, and she'll probably bring the wanker with her."

"It's time to take you home," Edward decides, looking up at the sky. "You've got graduation tonight, so you'll want to get some sleep."

"Your place or mine?" I ask, all his talk of sleep making me yawn. Jacob makes a sort of choking sound beside us and I roll my eyes. "Jesus Christ, get your mind out of the gutter, Jake!" I order him. Jacob just shudders.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:**

 

Alice and Luna are both there to drag me out of bed at six pm and dress me up in a fashionable vintage-style, polka dot chiffon dress with a scoop neck and long sleeves. The seamed stockings made the scars visible on my legs less noticeable, and the vintage pumps were sleek black leather, with low heels and laced-up above the ankle. 

I leaned back in a chair and dozed as Alice did my hair, her thin, cold fingers braided the top half into complex multiple braids and wrapping them around my head like a crown, the rest falling down in carefully styled waves. 

"Are you sure you need to go to this much effort just for graduation?" I yawned as she powdered my cheeks, curled my eyelashes, plucked my eyebrows and applied gloss to my lips. 

"Of course!" Alice looks horrified at the idea of not spending over an hour and a half getting ready for a small-town high-school graduation. 

"And what's with the vintage look, anyway?" I ask.

"It suits you," Alice says, simply, "and besides, when fashion doesn't go out of fashion, it becomes style." 

"Alice, you're ten kinds of strange." I tell her, and she laughs, the sound tinkling like silver bells.

"Maybe, but I'm still eleven kinds of fabulous." She winks. 

-

Charlie pulled up out the front of the Cullen's manor-like home in his cruiser, but left the cruiser in the driveway, as he, Esme and Carlisle were planning on riding together in Carlisle's Mercedes with Edward and I while the rest were divided between Rosalie's convertible and Edward's Volvo. 

Entering the house, Charlie made a beeline to where I was standing, Luna by my side, dressed in green, flowing open-robes with a white summer dress. It was an odd combination, and made her look like a white flower surrounded by long, green leaves. By muggle standards the outfit would be considered beyond bizarre, but with her crown of white carnations weaved into her hair, I thought she looked otherworldly, beautiful and graceful by muggle and magical standards. 

"You both look lovely," Charlie said, and I smiled at him, cheeks going pink.

"Thanks dad." 

"Are you excited?" he asked me.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Bella, this is a big deal. You're graduating from high school. It's the real world for you now. College. Living on your own... You're not my little girl anymore." Charlie choked up a bit at the end.

"Dad," I moaned. "Please don't get all weepy on me."

"Who's weepy?" he growled. "Now, why aren't you excited?"

"Probably the newest threat to my life." Charlie cringes, and I immediately regret my callous words, but he pulls himself together admirably. 

"It's good that Alice is throwing this party. You need something to perk you up." He says, and I snort. 

"Sure. A party's exactly what I need."

Charlie laughed at my tone and squeezed my shoulders. 

"Is everyone ready to go?" Esme asked in her musical voice, gliding down the staircase. 

"Yes, we are." Alice bounced up and down, beaming in excitement. "Let's get this done so we can get ready for the party!" she gushes.

"Alice," Edward sighs, "this is Bella's high school graduation; try not to dismiss it entirely." Alice makes a 'psh' noise, but doesn't say anything else about the party as we make our way to the cars.

Esme slides into the back with Edward and I while Carlisle and Charlie ride in the front. I'm in the middle, and the kind, motherly vampire squeezes my hand gently. 

When we reached the school Charlie gave me an awkward one-armed hug, before he, Carlisle and Esme left us at the back door of the gym to go around to the main entrance with the rest of the parents. Edward and I waited a few minutes for Alice to arrive, dancing over to us with three ugly yellow polyester graduation robes in her arms. 

She helped me pull mine on without messing up my hair, before she and Edward donned theirs- those two could make a bread sack look like the height of fashion, I thought mournfully as we made our way inside. 

It was pandemonium as Ms. Cope from the front office and Mr. Varner the math teacher tried to line everyone up alphabetically.

"Up front, Mr. Cullen, Ms. Cullen," Mr. Varner barked at Edward and Alice. 

"Hey, Bella!" I looked up to see Jessica Stanley waving at me from the back of the line with a smile on her face. Edward kissed me quickly, sighed, and then he and Alice went to go stand with the C's. "Down here, Bella!" Jessica called again.

I walked down the line to take my place behind Jessica, mildly curious as to why the other girl was suddenly so friendly after she and Lauren basically tried to bully me when Edward left. 

Jessica was babbling before I was in earshot. "...so amazing! I mean, it seems like we just met, and now we're graduating together," she gushed. "Can you believe it's over? I feel like screaming!"

"So do I," I muttered, eyeing her warily.

"This is all just so incredible!" I tuned out her prattling, concentrating instead on the actual ceremony. 

Angela, as valedictorian, stepped up to the microphone to make her speech.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, teachers, students, and most of all Graduates. It is an honor to speak to you on this special occasion. Alfred Lord Tennyson ended his poem ' _Ulysses'_  with the line ' _To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield_.' Indeed, we have done so. We are graduating today.

"I could go back and reminisce about the last four years. Instead I think it's more important for us all to focus on where we will be in the next four years, whether it's baking great bread, cooking up laws in the senate, teaching futures generations, or creating new music.

"We must concentrate on enhancing our futures and setting great examples for those who love us and for those who will follow us. We must be tomorrow's positive images. Our actions must make a statement and send a clear message. One that says, wherever we come from, whatever we have, or don't have, whatever our color, sex,  _blood ancestry_  or cultural background, we can be partners in success and we can achieve greatness together.

"Class, it is up to all of us to make a difference, to have people say honorable things about us and leave the impression that we never gave up on ourselves. Society is counting on us. Excellence is never an accident- it's the result of hard work. So let's go forwards, work hard, and attain excellence; the kind of excellence that will make our dreams reality. 

"Finally, let us all extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers and administrators who worked so hard to make us reach this commencement ceremony. Thank you everyone." 

I clapped along with everyone else as Angela stepped down, and then Eric Yorkie, Forks High School's equivalent of 'Head Boy' took her place to make his own speech. Without Angela's calm presence on the stage, I felt panic swelling up inside me, and it seemed almost like someone had pressed fast-forward. Eric was speed talking in his nervousness, the words and phrases running together so they didn't make sense anymore, we were marching too quickly, and Principal Greene started calling names, one after the other without a long enough pause between; the front row in the gymnasium was rushing to catch up. Poor Ms. Cope was all thumbs as she tried to give the principal the right diploma to hand to the right student.

I felt like I was standing on a thin wire, threatening to fall into a flashback, and I eagerly drank in the sight of Alice and Edward crossing the stage, Alice practically dancing, both standing out from the crowd with their beauty and otherworldly grace, both pulling off the hideous yellow and still looking as stunning as ever. It was times like this when I wondered how anyone could ever fall for their human farce. 

I heard Mr. Greene call my name and I rose from my chair, waiting for the line in front of me to move. I was conscious of cheering in the back of the gym, and I looked around to see Jacob pulling Charlie to his feet, both of them hooting in encouragement. I could just make out the top of Billy's head beside Jake's elbow. Luna was standing on top of her chair, a serene look on her face, not looking all that present. I managed to throw them all an approximation of a smile.

Mr. Greene finished with the list of names, and then continued to hand out diplomas with a sheepish grin as we filed past. "Congratulations, Miss Stanley," he mumbled as Jess took hers. "Congratulations, Miss Swan," he mumbled to me, pressing the diploma into my good hand. My chest was too tightly constricted for me to be able to reply.

And that was it.

Instead of going to stand next to Jessica with the rest of the assembled graduates, I sneakily broke the line and went to stand between Edward and Alice, letting them shield me from the world, a sentry standing guard on either side of my shaking body. Alice held my hand in her own tiny one, linking our fingers, while Edward wrapped an arm around my waist, helping to support my trembling body.

Mr. Greene said something I didn't hear, and everyone around me shouted and screamed. Yellow hats rained down. I pulled mine off, too late, and just let it fall to the ground. Families were beginning to converge now, pressing us tighter together, and I became very aware of the fact I was moments away from a panic attack. I couldn't breathe properly, couldn't see properly, and my body was shaking violently. I could feel that I was moving, but I couldn't see where to, just forced my feet to move, one in front of the other. 

A blast of fresh air hit my face, and I inhaled eagerly. A warm body with a familiar floral scent wrapped around me, and I let myself slump into the delicate hold. 

"Oh Bella," I hear Luna whisper, "honestly, I need an army of opalspoors just to keep an eye on you!" I just cling to her tighter as Edward asks,

"Opalspoors?"

"They are invisible wind spirits with the ability to watch over people who attract all manner of chaos. They use telepathy to keep constant communication between themselves and notify the observer about the person under surveillance." I feel, rather then see, Luna tilt her head. "They are also very good at watching over babies while they sleep." She says, thoughtfully. 

"You're one of a kind, Luna." I hear Alice say, and I can hear the delight in the pixie vampire's voice. I rub the tears from my eyes in time to witness Luna's eyes widen at this, her perpetually surprised look turning to actual, genuine surprise and pleasure. 

"Oh, that's lovely of you to say!" She says, delightedly. 

Feeling more put together, and no longer like I'm seconds from dissolving into a gibbering mess, I step back from Luna slightly, still holding her hands tight, but not actually clinging to her like a limpet. 

I knew Edward, Luna and Alice were here, but I was a touch embarrassed to see that Billy, Jacob and Charlie had also made their way over to the little corner outside the gym where Edward and Alice had bundled me off. None of them mentioned the scene they'd walked into, instead Charlie gave me a questioning look and when I nodded he wrapped his arms around me, being careful not to dislodge my grip on Luna's hands. 

"Congratulations baby!" I could hear the beam in his voice. "The Webers are heading to the Lodge for dinner, they've invited us all to join them- is that all good with you?" he asked, stepping back again.

"Let me guess- Qiang's going to be there?" I asked, slyly, and Charlie harrumphed, his ears going red. 

"Not that that has to do with anything, but yes she is." He said and I laughed.

"Sure, dad. That has nothing to do with it at all. But the Lodge sounds cool, anyway." I hadn't been to Charlie's favorite restaurant before.

"You two are invited as well, obviously." Charlie turns to Jacob and Billy. 

"Awesome," Jacob grins, before giving me a one-armed hug. "So you're ancient, now, Bells! Should I be putting in an order for a spectacles any day now? Or a beard-tending kit?" he says, and I roll my eyes. 

"Oh go chase your tail," I say, and he just chortles. 

"Congratulations Bella." Billy says, stiffly, and I can't help but notice how his eyes never stray far from Edward or Alice. 

"Thanks Billy." I say, politely. 

We drove to The Lodge, where Angela's parents had already booked a table. Mei-Xing waved us over, and I noticed that Mr. Banner and Katie were already seated down, as well as Carlisle and Esme. 

"Hi guys," Charlie greeted them all as he sat down in the empty chair next to Qiang (to absolutely nobody's surprise). Both greetings and congratulations were traded all around as we all sat down, the humans amongst us ordering from the limited menu. 

The place was crowded and, in my opinion, overpriced and tacky, but it was the only thing close to a formal restaurant in town, so I guessed that it was always popular for events. I stared morosely at a depressed-looking stuffed elk head and picked at the curly fries on my plate while everyone chatted. 

"What's got you so glum?" Edward murmured, from his seat on my right, Charlie on my left. 

"Alice's stupid party." I grumbled. 

"She's already left to set up." Edward said, amused, and I groaned while he laughed softly. 

-

After the dinner I said goodbye to everyone, then Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Charlie and I piled back into the Mercedes. I was slightly horrified when, at the turn-off to the Cullen's house, the black velvet darkness was interrupted, just where the Cullens' drive should be.  _Someone_  had wrapped the trees on either side in thousands of twinkle lights, impossible to miss.

The two trees at the entry weren't the only ones lit. Every twenty feet or so, another shining beacon guided us toward the big white house. All the way— all  _three miles_  of the way.

"Alice," I said, sourly. Edward patted my hand consolingly. 

The moment we arrived back at the Cullens, I took a moment to kiss Charlie on the cheek good-bye. 

"You look really nice, Bella." he said, with a small blush. "I wish I'd thought to get you something. Sorry."

"Don't be silly, Dad."

"It's not silly. I feel like I don't always do everything for you that I should." My throat felt choked.

"That's ridiculous. You do a fantastic job. World's best dad. And..." It wasn't easy to talk about feelings with Charlie, but I persevered after clearing my throat. "And I really, really love you. Living here with you, I've never been happier." Charlie's ears went red again. 

"Have fun tonight. And if this party gets too wild..."

"Don't worry about it, Dad. Carlisle and Esme are going to be there. I'm sure you can come, too, if you want."

Charlie grimaced- he enjoyed a good party just about as much as I did. "Have fun sweetheart." He said instead, and I groaned, this time letting Alice grab my hands and dragging me away. 

"Don't you have setting up to do?" I complained.

"Nonsense," Alice looked indignant, "I finished that ages ago! You need to get ready for tonight."

"Can't I just wear this," I gesture at the outfit I'm currently dressed in. Alice just glares and I let her drag me off. 

She dresses me in another vintage style dress, this one black and flounced, with a ruff collar and long sleeves, ending just above my knees. She has the insight to give me leggings to pull on underneath, most likely fully aware of the complaining I'd do otherwise, and I'm relieved by the ballet flats- my feet already hurt from the heels she's had me wearing for hours now. 

"Beautiful, of course," she says, smugly, before practically pushing me out the door. "I need to get changed- go check Luna isn't wearing anything too outrageous," she orders.

"Yes ma'am," I salute her, and she just closes the door in my face. I have very little hopes for Luna, and as I knock on the door of the room she and Malfoy are sharing, I'm proved right. 

I'm not sure whether I'm more horrified by the fact she and Malfoy are kissing, or by her outfit. I believe that the term for what she's wearing is  _dishabille_ , except she was wearing about half of that and seemingly completely unaware of the fact. "Er, Luna?" I asked, hesitantly. 

"Yes?" She blinked owlishly at me. I gesture wordlessly to her outfit. "Oh, that..." she patted herself down vaguely, thankfully re-arranging what looked like a belly dancer's skirt so she was covered for the most part. Amongst the beading and silk was a kilt, too, and it clashed awfully with the ensemble. 

"Are you doing this to get back at Alice for some reason?" I asked, cautiously. Luna looked confused.

"I ordered this on the line," she explains, "I went on the google to a sighting of webbing for parties- they had so many lovely muggle outfits to choose from!" She says delightedly. I massage my temples as I decode what she just said.

"You ordered this," I gesture to what she's wearing, " _online_ , from a  _website_ , after  _googling_  party outfits?" 

"Yes," Luna beams, "these were under the 'fancy' category, because Alice said she was planning on the party being lavish." 

"So basically you ordered a fancy dress costume online." I say, resisting the urge to groan. "You know what? You look eye-catching- it suits you. I just have one question- why the kilt?"

"Oh, I couldn't decide which outfit I liked better; the Scottish kilt or the Arabian dancer, so I decided why not get both?" 

"...Your logic is irrefutable." I admit. "Should we go downstairs then?" 

"Are you ready Draco?" Luna turns to the silent member of the room, brightly.

I hadn't noticed before because it wasn't quite as...  _eye-catching_  as Luna's outfit, but Malfoy is dressed in what I'm pretty sure is a Saturday Night Fever Disco men's costume; white suit, black collar and black shoes with two inch heels. 

"Jesus Christ," I sigh, regretting not helping Luna out with shopping for an outfit, then consoling myself when I remember that I was in a coma at the time, and decide to blame whoever was supposed to be keeping an eye on them instead. 

The three of us make our way downstairs, and I get the pleasure of witnessing Alice's horror when she sees Luna and Draco, which feels like sweet, sweet revenge. And then I get a look at my surroundings and feel like crying.

"Un- _freaking_ -believable!"

The interior of the Cullens' home had been transformed into a nightclub — the kind that didn't often exist in real life, only on TV.

"Alice will be Alice," a familiar voice says from behind me, and I'm not surprised when I feel Edward's cool arm wrap around my waist. I slump into him, feeling the bitter sting of defeat. 

"Edward!" Alice called from beside a gigantic speaker. "I need your advice." She gestured toward a towering stack of CDs. "Should we give them familiar and comforting? Or" — she gestured to a different pile— "educate their taste in music?"

"Keep it comforting," Edward recommended. "You can only lead the horse to water."

Alice nodded seriously, and started throwing the educational CDs into a box. The outfit she had changed into was a sequined tank top and red leather pants. Her bare skin reacted oddly to the pulsing red and purple lights. Even after being dressed by her, I still felt frumpy in comparison. 

"Do you really think people will come?" Anyone could hear the hope in my voice. Alice made a face at me.

"The Jibberwabbs say this dwelling will be filled by many presences." Luna says, solemnly.

"Everyone will come," Edward agrees. "They're all dying to see the inside of the reclusive Cullens' mystery house."

"Fabulous," I moaned.

There wasn't anything I could do to help. I doubted that — even after I didn't need sleep and moved at a much faster speed — I would ever be able to get things done the way Alice did, so I just waited grimly for my fate.

And then the doorbell rang.

Alice turned the volume of the music up, and then danced to get the door.

It was a Suburban-load of our classmates, either too nervous or too intimidated to arrive on their own. Jessica Stanley was the first one in the door, with Mike Newton right behind her, six other trailing after them, Lauren Mallory walking last, her critical eyes alight with curiosity. 

They all were curious, and then overwhelmed as they took in the huge room decked out like a chic rave. The room wasn't empty; all the Cullens had taken their places, ready to put on their usual perfect human charade. 

I went to greet Jessica and Mike, hoping the edge in my voice sounded like excitement, not like I was about to scream and then set fire to my surroundings.

Before I could get to anyone else, the bell rang again. I let Angela's old beau Ben in, leaving the door wide, because Eric Yorkie was just reaching the steps.

Though the party had been billed as a joint event for Alice, Edward, and me, there was no denying that I was the most popular target for congratulations and thanks, along with Angela and Katie who everyone knew were also close to Edward, Alice and I. Maybe because the Cullens looked just slightly wrong under Alice's party lights. Maybe because those lights left the room dim and mysterious. Not an atmosphere to make your average human feel relaxed when standing next to someone like Emmett. I saw Emmett grin at Mike over the food table, the red lights gleaming off his teeth, and watched Mike take an automatic step back.

Still, the party is a clear success, despite the instinctive edginess cause by the Cullens' presence — or maybe that simply added a thrill to the atmosphere. The music was infectious, the lights almost hypnotic. From the way the food disappeared, that must have been good, too. The room was soon crowded, though never claustrophobic. The entire senior class seemed to be there, along with most of the juniors. Bodies swayed to the beat that rumbled under the soles of their feet, the party constantly on the edge of breaking into a dance.

If I was being honest, it actually wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be. I followed Alice and Angela's lead, mingling and chatting for a minute with  _everyone_. They seemed easy enough to please. I was sure this party was far cooler than anything the town of Forks had experienced before. Alice was almost purring with satisfaction— no one here would forget this night.

I'd circled the room once, and was hiding behind the snack table with Luna and Malfoy — well, Malfoy and I were hiding, Luna was happily munching on a bowl of peppermint humbugs someone had put out. I literally flinched when Alice appeared at my side, having to take several deep breaths as she scowled. 

"Who invited the werewolf?" she griped at me.

I smirked back, just as good as any Slytherin. "Guilty."

Actually, I couldn't remember if I'd invited Jacob or not, but I didn't mind him being here- not that I'd ever have dreamed that one of the wolves would willingly set foot in here. 

"Well, you go take care of it, then." Alice sniffed, and then she was gone. 

"Damn it!" I grumbled. Now that I was listening I could hear the doorbell pealing, too long, like someone was holding down the button, and I made my way over to open it. 

"Hey, Bella!" Jacob grinned at me, flanked on either side by Quil and Embry. The two of them looked terribly tense, their eyes flickering around the room like they'd just walked into a haunted crypt. Embry's trembling hand still held the door, his body half-turned to run for it. Jacob was calmer than the others, though his nose was wrinkled in disgust. 

"I did not expect to see you here," I told him, frankly, "c'mon, follow me." Not waiting to see if he followed my instructions, I turned and, making sure to keep to the shadows the best I could, crept back over to my hiding spot by the snack table without having to make conversation with anyone.

Luna offered me a humbug with an impish grin. I accepted it and crunched it between my teeth before turning back to the wolf-shifters. Jacob was snickering and I grabbed another humbug to throw at his head. He caught it with a laugh.

"Don't be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation present and everything."

"Really?" I ask, surprised. He grinned, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small bag of a loose-woven, multi-colored fabric. It was tied shut with leather drawstrings. He set it on my palm. "Hey, that's pretty, Jake. Thanks!"

He sighed. "The present is inside, Bella." I winced in embarrassment. 

"Oh."

I had some trouble with the strings. Jacob sighed again and took it from me, sliding the ties open with one easy tug of the right cord. I held my hand out for it, but he turned the bag upside down and shook something silver into my hand. Metal links clinked quietly against each other. "I bought the the bracelet," Jacob admitted, and now he looks embarrassed. "But I, uh, I made the charm myself."

"Oh!" I say again, this time in surprise. Fastened to one of the links of the silver bracelet was a tiny wooden carving. I held it between my fingers to look at it closer. It was amazing the amount of detail involved in the little figurine— the miniature wolf was utterly realistic. It was even carved out of some red-brown wood that matched the color of Jacob's fur when he was wolfed out.

"It's beautiful," I said, genuinely. "You made this? How?"

He shrugged. "It's something Billy taught me. He's better at it than I am."

"That's hard to believe," I murmured, turning the tiny wolf around and around in my fingers.

"Do you really like it?"

"Yes! It's unbelievable, Jake." He smiled happily. "Here, help me put it on." I held out my left wrist and he fastened the catch easily, though it looked too delicate for his big fingers to manage.

"You'll wear it?" he asked.

"Of course I will." He grinned.

"I got you a present too," Luna announces, and I turn to her now, surprised again.

"You didn't have to," I tell her. She smiled.

"I wanted to." 

I'm not sure where she pulled it out from, but she took my left hand and gently placed a small charm on my palm. It was a moonstone set in silver, small and delicate, and I laughed in delight. 

"Thank you, Moon Girl, it's beautiful," I tell her. "Did you and Jake plan this together, then?" 

"I only told Billy what I was getting you." Jacob responds, looking faintly bewildered. Luna just gives him a misty sort-of smile. 

"Um, I got you one too, Swan." Malfoy looks awkward, looking over at Luna who nods encouragingly. Looking about as uneasy as I feel, he fumbles slightly, dropping a silver charm on my palm, next to the moonstone. It's an eagle in flight, its talons outstretched as if to grab hold of something. It's gorgeous, too, and I give him an awkward smile.

"Thanks." 

"You're welcome." He says, just as awkwardly. 

"Here," Luna picks up both charms, her nimble fingers easily attaching them to the bracelet, alongside the wolf. She smiles up at me. "There, they all look lovely together."

"Thanks- everyone. Really." I say and Luna pats my cheek fondly. 

Edward chooses now to make his way over to where we're hiding and smiles crookedly at me. "Having fun?" he asks, and I pull a face.

"No." 

"Not even a little bit?" he coaxes.

"Not even a little bit." I say, stubbornly. He laughs, but holds out an arm.

"Care to dance?" I consider it for a long moment then sigh and step towards him. 

"Fine." He scoops me up, spinning me, and a reluctant laugh escapes me as we move together, in time to the music. I'm reminded- briefly- of the prom, and I lean against his chest, my body flush against his, letting the music wash over me as we move as one. 

**A/N: Because public speaking has always been one of my fiercest enemies and I've never had to write a valedictorian speech in my life, Angela's speech was mostly borrowed from one I found on the internet, belonging to the Class of 2008 Valedictorian of Roosevelt High School. If you want to read the full speech, google " _Selected Speeches by Valedictorians from Around Westchester_ "- it's a New York Times article. Hope you enjoyed the chapter~  _Cheshire Carroll_**


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:**

 

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, beating a furious rhythm against my rib cage. Sweat plastered the cotton material of my shirt to my back, and stray strands of hair had escaped my tight plait. I relied on my magic to warn me of the incoming attack, the vampire too fast for me to actually  _see_  rush towards me, and I let my magic explode out of me, defending me from the incoming predator. 

A brilliant shield burst into existence, and Jasper collided with it, an instinctive snarl escaping him as it sent him back. A hasty twist of my wrist, fingers clenched tight around my wand, had the shield expand, surrounding me like a vortex. I could see Jasper prowling in a circle around my shield, his features even more inhuman then usual through the shimmering silvery defense. My heart was still pounding wildly in my chest as adrenaline raced through me, and a bead of sweat rolled down my hairline. 

"Enough," Jasper finally said, standing back up straight, the veneer of predator stalking its prey falling away as his golden eyes fixed, evaluating, onto my own. I let the shield fall and my wand arm lower. Edward darted over, his hand brushing my shoulder in comfort, helping ease the tenseness. I leaned into his touch, and he wrapped a supportive arm around my waist. 

"You can defend yourself against an attacking vampire," Jasper said, his golden eyes still assessing my reactions, "and against me, at that, which means that defending yourself from Victoria, should she show up, would not be a problem for you. The problem is that you cannot let your shield spell drop, which means that you can defend, but you can't attack her- it's a stalemate."

"Let's try something new, then," Luna says, stepping forwards. Her dirty-blonde hair is gleaming silver under the light of the waxing moon, and her skin looks almost luminescent. Luna had explained the traces of fae blood that ran through the pale blue veins I could trace along her thin arms, but it was never more obvious to me then when I looked at Luna under the moonlight, and saw an almost entirely different being. She had always looked ethereal under the moonlight. 

Luna takes her place beside me, and Jasper gives no warning before he disappears again, in a movement so fast I don't even register it, don't even try to register it. Magic is... unpredictable. There are few  _true_  laws in which magic can be contained, barely any limits that magic itself cannot break. It is the person in control of the magic that limits its capabilities, whether that is because of their resolve and belief or their power levels. Magic in and of itself is sentient in a way. It will react to ensure its survival and the survival of its user. Vampires move fast and my spell needs to react faster then my mind can actively form the spell, so my magic reacts to the intentions I form in a split second, casting a silently summoned shield to encompass Luna and I, the shimmering barrier springing into existence, wrapping around us, in time for Jasper to once again hit it.

Unable to reach us, to breach the shield, I could almost see the humanity bleed from Jasper, his movements becoming more feline, the black dominant in his golden eyes. He stalked in a circle around us, while Luna twisted her wand, her lips mouthing something I couldn't hear. The brilliant beam of light left an afterimage behind my eyelids, a lingering visual impression. Jasper blurred, too fast for the spell to hit him, and then Luna twirled her wand, spinning in a graceful movement. A beam of vivid red light whipped around us, almost like a ribbon, the spell trailing from Luna's wand, almost giving the impression that Luna was a rhythmic gymnast, with her wand as the handle, and the brilliant, thin scarlet beam of light her satin ribbon. 

Jasper lets out an instinctive loud, furious growl as the ribbon spell tangles his wrist, forming a shackle, holding him in place. His agitation is visible as he tries to rip through the 'ribbon', only to let out an even louder snarl as every time his fingers try to touch it, they go straight through the spell like it's not even there. 

"Stalemate," Alice says loudly, stepping forwards, in front of her mate. Luna's 'ribbon' dissipates, and Alice rests her hand against Jasper's cheek, giving him a moment to regain control. 

I don't let the shield fall until Alice nods, confirming the agitated vampire has calmed. 

"If Luna could use more permanent spells, then we'd have won," I point out to Alice. 

"Maybe," Alice says, "but you're not leaving this clearing until you can defeat Jasper- without using lethal spells."

"Well, if I'm protecting and Luna's restraining, then a third witch or wizard can do the... finishing touch." I say, and then turn to a quiet Malfoy. "Are you going to be there, on the mountain with us?" I ask, bluntly. 

Malfoy's steel-colored eyes flick over to Luna, and determination sets in his pointed features. "Yes." He answers, quiet but decisive. He stands up, walking over so he's standing beside Luna, who's now in between us.

"Third time lucky," I say, before letting my shield once again flare into existence. My body feels heavy, drained from the use of magic; non-verbal, half-instinctive, 360 degree shield charms aren't exactly  _easy_. 

Luna acts quicker this time, snagging Jasper as he collides with the shield, taking advantage of the brief moment of disorientation to bind his arms to his sides. Malfoy uses a prank spell to apply the final blow- a red paint ball, that explodes on Jasper's chest. It looks sickeningly like blood, the paint-staining rapidly spreading on the ivory shirt Jasper is wearing, and dripping down onto the forest below. 

And then Malfoy stumbles, gasping for air, and I spin to look at him. He looks terrified, his eyes darting from side to side, his entire body shaking. 

Flashback, I realize, and sympathy washes over me. As Malfoy stumbles to his knees, Luna drops to the ground beside him, reaching out to touch him. He wildly swings, whacking her arm away. She tries again, and this time its his fist that hits her, and I yank her backwards, barely noticing as the shield drops. 

Kneeling between Luna and Malfoy, my back to my best friend, shoving her back when she tries getting around me, I reach out and slap Malfoy's face– twice. I can see the moment his eyes refocus, his body still shaking violently. Steel-grey eyes widen in horror as he looks behind me, and I look over my shoulder at Luna. She looks pale and there are unshed tears swimming in her eyes. 

"Luna," he says, sounding broken. 

"It's okay," Luna says, and when she tries to move past me again, this time I let her. She cradles his face in her thin, pale hands, and places a soft kiss on his forehead. "It's okay,  _serce_." 

I look away from what feels like an intensely private moment, and Edward appears beside me, gently helping me up to my feet. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, voice low. 

"Yeah, I- yeah." I nod. My heart is beating too quickly and I'm tired and shaken, but more then anything, I feel... sick. Sick because I've been reminded, once again, that Malfoy is, well, human. That it's not just those of us who fought for the Light who have been damaged by the War. And that as whole as we pretend to be, there are barely stitched together scars under the surface of our skin, threatening to rip right open and bleed our grief, our fear, our heartbreak. 

"So, looks like three on one is the answer," I say, turning attention away from Malfoy's flashback, and back to what actually lead to trigger it. 

"Safety in numbers," Edward agrees. The corners of my mouth turn down.

"Numbers do make the difference," I agree, "and I know that seven of you can kick newborn arse, but... like you said, safety in numbers."

"We'll be fine, Bella," Edward says, gently. I shake my head, unhappily.

"I know that you  _should_  be fine, but there's always a chance, Edward. Are you sure that there aren't any other vampires you can get into contact with? You mentioned cousins, once, in Denali- surely they would be happy to help out if you consider each other family!"

"Ah," Edward says, looking... uncomfortable. I frown.

"What is it?" 

"Well, we did contact the Denalis- you were in a coma at the time," Edward says, hesitantly, though I can see the glimmer of anger in his eyes. "There's a... complication."

"Complication?" I demand.

"Yes, it turns out Irina, one of the three sisters, was...  _closer_  to Laurent then we realized. They want revenge- they'll only help us if we help them kill the wolves, who they believe are responsible for Laurent's death—Bella?  _Bella_? Are you okay?"

I'm not okay. I'm actually shaking, and my face feels cold as the blood drains, going white with fury, pure fury. One of the trees around the clearing makes a loud  _crack_  as a branch breaks off, falling to the ground. I can practically  _feel_  my magic, turbulent, thrashing under my skin, wanting to be let out.

Jasper's calm envelopes me like a cool blanket, dousing the burning flames of my rage. I take several deep breaths and when my hands aren't shaking quite so badly, I hold out my hand. "Give me the phone." I demand. 

"Bella?" Edward asks, cautiously. Another branch snaps, crashing into the undergrowth. 

"Phone. Now." I growl, and he pulls the slim cell from his pocket, tapping the screen several times before handing it to me. Tanya's contact information is opened on the screen, and I don't hesitate to press the dial button.

The other Cullens are approaching, cautiously, as it starts ringing. Carlisle in particular looks like he wants to take the phone away from me, but Alice is smiling a fierce smile, and Rosalie's hard, angry eyes aren't directed at me, and her mouth quirks in approval as our eyes briefly meet, Emmett's arm draping over her shoulders.

"Edward?" an unfamiliar, musical voice answers, "this is a surprise. Carlisle sounded very firm about keeping to the treaty you created with those wolves- did you, perhaps, rethink your answer?"

"Actually, this is Bella Swan speaking, the target of the newborn vampire army. You might know me better as the human Edward's in love with, and is marrying."

"Bella," the musical voice is significantly cooler now. "My name is Tanya."

"I don't care who you are," I interrupt, "and I haven't finished introducing myself– I also happen to be the one who Laurent tried to kill."

"What?" Tanya's voice is flat, carefully void of emotion.

"I'm assuming you're aware of what happened with his coven mate James? Well, his remaining coven mate is the one who created the army. She wants revenge for James's death. When Laurent came to Forks, it was because of her- she asked him to check on me, and bring me to her if possible. Laurent cornered me in the forest. I was entirely defenseless and he told me that I should thank him- Victoria would have drawn it out, he'd do me the courtesy of killing me quickly. The wolves bursting into the clearing saved my life."

Nothing I'd just said was a lie. The distraction the wolves had caused Laurent by all leaping into the clearing had given me the opportunity to set the bastard on fire. I'd explain the 'witch' thing, but that was hard to do over the phone, and the Denalis would never believe me without a demonstration. 

"Are you trying to convince us to change our mind?" Tanya asks, her voice still cold as ice, and I can hear soft, murmuring voices on the other end of the line, too quiet for my human ears to make out.

"No, not at all," I say, sweetly, "I rang to yell at you." I give a second pause to let her fully soak that in, before releasing the thin control I had over my fury. "You pathetic excuse for a carbon-based life form- I cannot believe you lot! I really, really just cannot believe- you call yourselves  _family_  to the Cullens;  _family_  you have known for at least a century, as far as I'm aware, and yet this vampire you knew for a mere handful of  _months_  is somehow important enough that you're willing to risk the deaths of Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Edward? Your supposed ' _family'_? Are you really that fucking  _petty_? I would  _die_  before I let anyone hurt my family! I would  _gladly_  die before I let anyone lay a  _finger_  on them! 

"You and your sisters and your  _whole fucking coven_  are despicable! You have no right to call the Cullens family! You'd see them all dead for not killing their allies, their allies who are actually willing to  _fight_  for them! You'd see your so-called family dead for not killing a pack of wolf-shifters who are just children, some not even  _fifteen years old_  yet, when their only so-called  _crime_  is to save the life of a seventeen-year-old human girl from a vampire who attacked her, a vampire who was your coven mate of a handful of months! Who actually admitted to me that he cheated on his animal diet anyway, which just goes to show just how high in regard he held you! And everything you stupidly, thoughtlessly told him about Alice's Gift, he told Victoria, and now she knows how to use the holes in her vision- if Victoria hadn't messed up, we wouldn't even know yet that we're going to be attacked! 

"I'm not sure how it works in the rainbow world that you fly through on your magical unicorn of destiny, but here in reality that's not only the fucking dumbest oversight you bunch of idiots could make, but it's also a massive betrayal of trust! They trusted you;  _Alice_  trusted you, with information on how her Gift works, and you just went ahead and started spilling your guts, left and right– you  _owe_  the Cullens! You  _owe_  them for your frankly massive part in putting them all in such terrible danger! You fucking  _owe_  them, and what are you doing? You're just fucking abandoning them, in a time when they need you more then ever! You- you are stupid, pathetic, worthless and you don't  _deserve_  to call yourselves family- go  _burn in hell_!"

I don't wait for any sort of reply, and once I've finished shouting into the speaker, my churning magic slips through my control and causes something in the phone to fry, and the screen goes black, a thin trail of smoke escaping the tiny speaker. I throw away the destroyed cell phone, still furious, my anger not even nearly placated. 

"I give it an eight for content, a nine for creativity and a solid ten for delivery." Alice breaks the silence, with a smile that's all sweetness and sugar and hidden poison. 

"I thought it was quite inspired, myself," drawled Rosalie, flashing her perfect, too white, sharp teeth in the sort of smile that was more threat then anything else.

"While the ending might have lacked originality, it was certainly not lacking on the emotional front- the Denalis have to be feeling the burn of that from all the way in Alaska." Alice agreed. 

I can't help my laugh, and Edward wraps his arms around me. "It's been a long night, Bella," he says, gently. "Let's go home."

I let him carry me through the forest, travelling so quickly it feels like I'm flying. He takes me back to Charlie's, and I sleepily change into a pair of sweats, before half falling into bed. Edward slides down beside me, careful to keep the thick blanket between us so as not to freeze me, and I let myself just doze off. 

-

When I wake up, I drew up from the bed gasping for breath. It came out in shallow huffs. Tasting blood, I let my hand touch my lips. I must have bitten it to muffle my screams. "Bollocks," I mumbled.

"Bella, love?" A cold hand gently brushes against my arm, and I turn to face my partner in bed. Edward is eyeing me with a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"Just a nightmare." I told him. "I'll be fine."

"That's good to hear," Edward says, leaning forwards to press his icy lips to my over-heated forehead, before he pulls back. "Your phone call last night had an unexpected result." He says. 

"What, they're joining forces with Victoria because she's promised to help them wipe out the shifters?" I ask, grumpily. He laughs. 

"Actually, two of them came to help us- Carmen and Eleazar. Eleazar actually used to be part of the Volturi guard, so he can fight. The three sisters, Tanya, Irina and Kate are... well, they likely won't come."

"Nine is better then seven," I tell him, feeling lighter already. 

"They want to meet you- I think they're amused by your chewing out of Tanya." Edward chuckles. 

"Really?" I ask, surprised. 

"Really," he nods, "they weren't happy with the decision to stay out of the fight in the first place, so they agree with what you say."

-

I apparate Edward and I to the front of the Cullen's manor-like home, and he leads me through the front door, to the sitting room.

Carmen and Eleazar are both standing together, Carmen's hand resting lightly on her mate's arm. There's a warm expression on her face as she talks to Esme, and Eleazar looks serious as he, Carlisle and Jasper discuss what I assume is the upcoming fight. Both of them looked Spanish, hints of olive tones to their chalky complexions. Carmen is shorter then him by about half a foot, and appears to be around Esme's age, perhaps older by a handful of years. Eleazar, I'd guess, was in his forties when he was changed. 

They are beautiful, of course, Carmen with her heavy waves of dark brown hair, sweet smile and willowy figure, and Eleazar with his black hair, up to his collar and angular features. 

Both of the Denalis turn to face me, as Edward and I walk through the adjourning doorway. Carmen's features brighten with delight, while Eleazar appears wary. 

"You must be Bella," she says, her chiming voice accentuated with a Spanish lilt. 

"And you're Carmen, I assume," I smile back at her. She glides over to me, Eleazar falling easily into step beside her, stopping before me. She holds out a slender hand, and I reach up to shake it. Her skin is icy cool, and Carmen looks even more delighted by my lack of fear. 

"I am Eleazar," Eleazar says. He's still not smiling, but his expression isn't unfriendly, giving me the impression that his stoicism is the norm for him. 

"It's nice to meet you- to meet both of you," I say, honestly. 

"We apologize, both of us, for not immediately offering our aid to our most dearest friends," Carmen says, her beautiful face creased with her distress. "It was a rash decision on Tanya's behalf- and on our own, for not taking the initiative to come aid our family sooner. We hope you can forgive us." Her face is so earnest, any lingering traces of anger I hold towards her and her mate dissolve. 

"You're here now, and that's what matters." I say, firmly, and Carmen smiles. 

"We are, and we will fight by your side, because that's what family does."  
  
  


**A/N: In case it isn't blatantly obvious, the part where the Denalis refused to help the Cullens never sat right with me, so I decided to change it ~ _Cheshire Carroll_**


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:**

 

After exchanging introductions with Carmen and Eleazar, Edward whisked me to the bedroom upstairs that Luna and Draco were currently calling home- apparently they had news for me.

I knocked on the door and Luna called out for me to come in. Opening it, the first thing I noticed was that both Luna and Draco were dressed in full robes- and they were wearing travelling cloaks. 

"What's going on?" I looked over to Luna, troubled. Luna sighs.

"Harry wrote to us," she said, quietly. "Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's trials were yesterday."

"Oh." I said, my gaze automatically flicking to Dra- _Malfoy_. To  _Malfoy_. His complexion looked wan and his eyes were rimmed red. "What were the verdicts?" I asked, uneasy. 

"Potter vouched for Mother and got her sentence lightened." Malfoy said, quietly. His voice was hoarse. "She was given ten years in Azkaban. Father... Father was sentenced to death."

I couldn't help the conflicting emotions inside me- on one hand, I was fiercely satisfied that Lucius Malfoy would finally get what he deserved, that he would pay for the suffering he had wrought. On the other hand... looking at Malfoy's face, it was hard not to feel sorry for him. It was a stark reminder that there were people out there who would miss Malfoy Senior- even if I certainly wasn't one of them.

"We're going to England so Draco can say goodbye." Luna says, softly. "We'll be back in three days, in time to help you lay the false trail."

"Be safe," I tell her, walking over so I can pull her into a tight hug. 

"I will," she promises. 

Deeply troubled, I watched her and Malfoy apparate away, off to Morte Alley to buy a Portkey. Edward touches a hand to my shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asks. I let out a shuddered breath.

"Yeah- I'm okay. Or I will be," I tell him, and he nods. I then frown. "Hang on- do Carmen and Eleazar, know you,  _know_? About me?" 

"Luna explained it to them," Edward says, "or rather, she started baking something and they caught sight of the ingredients all flying over to her, and the bowl mixing itself, and the dishes cleaning themselves in the sink." He looks amused and I let out a surprised laugh of my own. 

"Well, that's certainly one way to find out! Did they have any questions?"

"Only several thousand," Edward grins crookedly at me. "They got rather disturbed when she started talking about floating worms that slurped up people's thoughts." 

"Fligby flutterloos, right?" I ask, and Edward laughs.

"Yes, that's the one." 

"Oh Luna," I sigh, feeling very sorry for poor Carmen and Eleazar, but at the same time I can't help the wide grin on myself.

( _"Ssh. I must consult the fligby flutterloos that float ever-so-lightly on the sprightly breeze."_

_"Fligby flutterloos?" I asked._

_"They're from the moon," she said, as if it explained everything._

_It didn't_.)

- 

There was one last meeting at the clearing, and then it would be go time. 

Edward and I got to the clearing last. It was Eleazar and Carmen's first- and only- practice with us all, and Eleazar and Emmett were already wrestling while Jasper watched with a critical eye, occasionally offering critique. Rosalie lounged on the hard ground, watching Emmett closely, while Alice and Carmen were circling each other, both half slumped forwards in a crouch. Esme and Carlisle were talking a few yards away, heads close together, fingers linked, not paying attention. 

It was much brighter tonight, the moon shining through the thin clouds, and I could easily see the three wolves that sat around the edge of the practice ring, spaced far apart to watch from different angles. It was also easy to recognize Jacob there, and I guessed the other two were Quil and Embry.　　

"Where are the rest of the wolves?" I wondered.

"They don't all need to be here. One would do the job, but Sam didn't trust us enough to just send Jacob, though Jacob was willing. Quil and Embry are his usual... I guess you could call them his wingmen."

"Jacob trusts you." I say. 

Edward nodded. "He trusts us not to try to kill him. That's about it, though."

"Are you participating tonight?" I asked.

"I'll help Jasper when he needs it. He wants to try some unequal groupings, teach them how to deal with multiple attackers." He shrugged. The reminder that even with Carmen and Eleazar they were still outnumbered wasn't exactly comforting, but I gritted my teeth and bore it.

Turning back to the field wasn't exactly the most comforting of distractions as I was working on convincing myself that everything would work out as planned. As I watched the Cullens play-fighting, I couldn't help but think that in just a few days the fighting would be real and deadly. 

Jacob caught my eyes and smiled. It was the same wolfy grin as before, his eyes scrunching the way they did when he was human. I knew, without asking, which of the others was Embry and which was Quil. Because Embry was clearly the thinner gray wolf with the dark spots on his back, who sat so patiently watching, while Quil— deep chocolate brown, lighter over his face— twitched constantly, looking like he was dying to join in the mock fight, like the excitable teenage boy he was. 

Because in the end, he was just a kid, an excitable teen who couldn't even legally drive. A kid who didn't look nearly as indestructible as Emmett and Jasper did, moving faster than cobra strikes while the moonlight glinted off their granite-hard skin. A kid who still didn't seem to understand the danger involved here. A kid who was still somewhat mortal, who could bleed, who could die...

Edward's confidence was reassuring, because it was plain that he wasn't truly worried about his family.

But would it hurt him if something happened to the wolves? Was there any reason for him to be anxious, if that possibility didn't bother him? Edward's confidence only applied to one set of my fears.

I tried to smile back at Jacob, swallowing against the lump in my throat. I didn't seem to get it right.

Jacob sprang lightly to his feet, his agility at odds with his sheer mass, and trotted over to where Edward and I stood on the fringe of things.

"Jacob," Edward greeted him politely.

Jacob ignored him, his dark eyes on me. He put his head down to my level, as he had yesterday, cocking it to one side. A low whimper escaped his muzzle.

"I'm fine," I answered, not needing the translation that Edward was about to give. "Just worried, you know."

Jacob continued to stare at me.

"He wants to know why," Edward murmured. Jacob growled— not a threatening sound, an annoyed sound— and Edward's lips twitched.

"What?" I asked.

"He thinks my translations leave something to be desired. What he actually thought was, 'That's really stupid. What is there to be worried about?' I edited, because I thought it was rude."

I halfway smiled, too anxious to really feel amused. "There's plenty to be worried about," I told Jacob. "Like a bunch of really stupid wolves who haven't seen any sort of combat before getting themselves hurt."

Jacob laughed his coughing bark.

Edward sighed. "Jasper wants help. You'll be okay without a translator?"

"I'll manage." I assure him, and Edward kisses my cheek before he turned his back and strode over to where Jasper waited.

I sat down where I was. The ground was cold and uncomfortable. Jacob took a step forward, then looked back at me, and a low whine rose in his throat. He took another half-step.

"Go on without me," I told him. "I don't want to watch." Jacob leaned his head to the side again for a moment, and then folded himself on to the ground beside me with a rumbling sigh. "Really, you can go ahead," I assured him. He didn't respond, he just put his head down on his paws.

I stared up at the bright silver clouds, not wanting to see the fight. My imagination had more than enough fuel, and there was a steady realization growing in me; I was preparing for Victoria to find me— despite what Edward had said, I was confident that she would. Which left me with a slight dilemma— I would have Luna and Draco at my side, to fight with me, but they wouldn't be the only ones stashed up on the mountains, where Edward was planning to hide me: little Seth Clearwater, my 'cellphone', would be up there too. 

And that was an unacceptable risk.

Luckily, the solution that came to me wasn't that difficult, and I vowed to send off the letter to put my idea to action as soon as I got home— I would make sure that Seth was safe. 

A breeze blew through the clearing, and I shivered. Jacob scooted himself closer to me, pressing his warm fur against my left side. "Thanks," I sighed, leaning into his wide shoulder, letting the heat soak into me.

The clouds moved slowly across the sky, dimming and brightening as thick patches crossed the moon and passed on. Absently, I began pulling my fingers through the fur on his neck. "You know, I never had a dog," I mused. "When I was younger I always wanted one, but Renée's allergic. And then I started Hogwarts, and you can only have owls, cats or toads." Jacob laughed; his body shook under me.

"Aren't you worried about Saturday at all?" I asked, quietly, the humor leaving me. He turned his enormous head toward me, so that I could see one of his eyes roll. I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling anger rush through me. "Don't you  _dare_  be so blasé about this, Jacob Black," I warned him, my voice low. "Who, out of the two of us, has actually fought in a battle before? It's not like the one-on-one fighting you've done before now, where you have a whole pack to fight a single vampire. You've fought one vampire, Jacob- one- and you've had your whole pack to back you up. This is going to be like nothing you've ever experienced in your life. It's not a game. You will be outnumbered, and you will be fighting for your lives. You know nothing about true fighting-  _nothing_. So don't you dare treat this as some sort of game."

I'm too furious to stay, and I ignore Jacob's whine as I stand up, and cross over to where Rosalie is still lounging on the ground, looking for all purposes as beautiful and regal as a queen, lounging across a divan like those old paintings of the pharaoh Cleopatra, majestic without even trying, and I almost expect to see a servant holding a bowl of grapes to hand feed her. 

"You stink." She says, bluntly. I pull out my wand and cast a quick cleaning charm. Her beautiful cupid-bow lips curve into a smile.

"Well that's far more pleasant." She says, and I smile back at her. We don't say anything else, but it's a comfortable silence. 

The killing games continued in the clearing, and I watched the hazy moon, set in a brilliant blanket of stars, shining like diamonds wrapped in deep midnight, enjoying the beautiful, natural magic of the night. 

-

Everything was ready.

Well, everything was almost ready. I still had to talk to Charlie.

It wasn't that he was  _unaware_  that something was about to go down, I just hadn't exactly rushed to fill in the details. As I entered the kitchen, he gave me a wary look from where he was standing next to the kettle, with an empty cup and a box of teabags. 

I tried to give him my most innocent look... really, I did. When he went pale and stepped back like he'd seen a ghost I was woman enough to admit that I probably hadn't fooled him. 

"Tell me quickly, Bells- I don't know if my heart can take it." He says, and I cringe.

"Well... there's sort of, a, uh, a vampire who kinda wants to kill me. And she may have made an army of vampires to do so." 

The sheer creativity of the curses that escaped my father shocked and impressed me.

"Wow, dad, that's... I have to say, I am really impressed right now by your creativity, even if several of those suggestions are anatomically impossible." 

"It's only anatomically impossible when certain appendages are still attached to a body. Cutting them off opens a whole different world of possibilities." Charlie says, grimly. I look at my father with admiration.

"You are hands down the coolest dad I know." I tell him, and his ears go red. 

"Yes, well, what's the plan for dealing this vampire and her... army?" 

"The Cullens and some shape-shifters they know are going to fight them," I tell him.

"Shape-shifters?" Charlie asked. "You've mentioned Jacob turning into a wolf before- is he like those animalus people?"

"Animagus," I correct him, "and no, they're a bit different- they aren't actually witches or wizards, they can just turn into wolves the size of horses." Charlie suddenly narrows his eyes at me, and I swallow, wondering what I've said that's responsible for the look of suspicious realization. 

"Those giant wolves," he says, "they wouldn't have had anything to do with those supposed  _grizzly bear_  attacks, would they now?" I cringe slightly, remembering how Charlie had gone out hunting for the 'animal' responsible for local deaths. 

Of course, it hadn't been the wolves responsible- Victoria and Laurent were at fault for the deaths- but the tracks the wolves left led the authorities to a very different conclusion.

"I'd just like to state, for the record, that it wasn't the shape-shifters who were responsible for those murders," I say, and Charlie gives a slow nod, still eyeing me with a level of astuteness that makes me nervous- sometimes I forget that Charlie is the Chief of Police, which means that he's actually a pretty damn good detective. 

The whistling of the kettle gives me an excuse to busy my hands and avoid Charlie's scrutinizing gaze, and I grab another mug and tea-bag so I can have a cup of tea too, to settle my nerves, when a loud tapping noise causes me to slop the hot liquid from the kettle and I swear- loudly- as my finger tips are scalded and turn to glare accusingly at the owl outside the window. It glared right back. I gave in. There was no winning with owls. 

Charlie opens the window while I run my fingers under the cold water of the sink, and the owl drops the parcel it was carrying on the bench, then lands next to it, having a small amount of difficulty balancing on the flat surface. I dry my fingers on my pants and lift the note off the top of the parcel.

_Bella,_

_I received your letter, and while I have to admit I was rather surprised by your request, I did as you asked._

_Be safe,_

_Hermione_

"No reply," I said quickly to the owl as it looked up at me, trying to edge closer to a soft bit of flesh to trap in its wicked-sharp beak. The glossy black-feathered menace gave a disgruntled hoot, and took off at once.

"What's that?" Charlie speaks up, nodding to the parcel. 

"I wrote to Hermione last night- she's a classmate of mine, from the year level above me. I needed something, and I knew she'd be able to make it for me." 

"It's not anything illegal, is it?" Charlie asks, suspiciously. 

"Er, I actually don't know." I admit and he sighs.

"You're not going to be arrested, are you?" he asks, resignedly. 

"Definitely not," I reassure him and he shakes his head and sighs again, though at least there's some dry humor evident. 

"Qiang is coming over later today for your check-up," he says, "I'll leave it to you to let her know what's going on." He laughs as I cringe when I realize I forgot about the appointment she had arranged.

"Oh terrific." I moan, knowing exactly how well she is going to take the news of the vampire army. 

I'm not disappointed.

"Honestly," Qiang glares fiercely at me, "how you find this sort of trouble frankly  _astounds_  me. And I still have no idea why you don't just apparate and spend the day at Morte Alley after setting the false trail!" 

Qiang looked lovely, and my father had barely been able to look away when she strode into our house like she owned it. Her long, silky hair was loose and she was dressed in a midnight blue kimono with silver butterflies dancing from the hem upwards, sprinkling beads of light behind them. The obi itself was just a shade lighter and looked like the surface of a dark expanse of water at night, illuminated only by the moonlight, giving it silvery tones.

"Because I don't want to be too far away in case I'm needed," I explain, tiredly, for the hundredth time. Qiang makes a sharp, dismissive sound- also for the hundredth time. 

"Don't be ridiculous, we both know they'll be fine without you." She says. I grit my teeth. 

"Okay, you want to know the real reason?" I demand, "Fine- Victoria isn't going to be turning up to the battle with the newborns, she's going to be searching for me. And I  _want_  her to find me- I'm going to deal with this for once and for all!"

"What about the young shifter with you?" Qiang asks, after a pause in which she looks very satisfied with herself for breaking my composure. 

"Word activated portkey," I admit, thinking of the parcel I'd received by owl that was now hidden in my room, "it's keyed to the Cullen's house- I wrote to Hermione Granger and she created it for me." 

"And if Victoria brings back-up?" 

"I'll have Luna and Draco with me." I say. "And if the three of us can't take on Victoria and whoever she might bring, we'll get the hell out of dodge."

"And you don't have one of your vampires staying to help you, because?"

"Because I want them to be as safe as possible under these circumstances- my first priority is their wellbeing, and that means I want them to have as much back-up as possible– I refuse to take one of them away from the fight, which leaves the others more vulnerable." I say, fiercely. Qiang doesn't say anything at first, her sharp gaze assessing me for a long, uncomfortable moment. But whatever she sees, she must approve of, because she gives a short nod.

"I'm coming with you. No, don't argue silly girl, I'm not giving you a choice."

"But why?" I splutter. She gives a prim smile. 

"If I intend on entering a courtship with your father, then ensuring his daughter stays alive seems to be something I should help with." 

"Ah," I say, faintly.

 


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:**  
  


A restless sleep that night was followed by an equally restless day. I had done all that I could do. I tried to accept that, and put the things that were outside of my control out of my head, for tonight at least. One way or another, this would all be over in forty-eight hours. The thought was almost comforting.

Edward had requested that I relax, and I was going to do my best.

"For this one night, could we try to forget everything besides just you and me?" he'd pleaded, unleashing the full force of his eyes on me. "It seems like I can never get enough time like that. I need to be with you. Just you."

That was not a hard request to agree to.

I'd hugged and kissed my father goodbye and received assurances from him that he'd spend the day after tomorrow with Billy. I then drove, for once, to the Cullens home, instead of apparating. The familiar motions of driving were soothing, almost, as was the sound of Edward's soft humming from the passenger seat. It was after dark when we reached the house, but in spite of that, the meadow was bright in the light shining from every window.

As soon as I cut the engine Edward was at my door, opening it for me. He lifted me from the cab with one arm, slinging my bag out of the truck bed and over his shoulder with the other. His lips found mine as I heard him kick the truck's door shut behind me.

Without breaking the kiss, he swung me up so that I was cradled in his arms and carried me into the house.

Was the front door already open? I didn't know. We were inside, though, and I was dizzy. I had to remind myself to breathe.

This kissing did not frighten me. It wasn't like when I could feel the fear and panic leaking through his control. His lips were not anxious, but enthusiastic now— he seemed as thrilled as I was that we had tonight to concentrate on being together. He continued to kiss me for several minutes, standing there in the entry; he seemed less guarded than usual, his mouth cold and urgent on mine.

After what seemed like a heavenly slice of eternity, Edward pulled away. "Welcome home," he said, his eyes liquid and warm.

"That sounds nice," I said, breathless.

He set me gently on my feet and I wrapped both my arms around him, refusing to allow any space between us.

"I have something for you," he said, his tone conversational.

"Oh?"

"I never got you a graduation present- I feel terrible about it." He says. I roll my eyes.

"You know you didn't need to," I tell him, but he shakes his head.

"It was an oversight on my part that I intend to correct," he says, and I laugh.

"Fine- where's my present?"

"It's up in my room. Shall I go get it?"

His bedroom? I'd certainly already considered furthering our...  _explorations_  tonight, and this seemed like the perfect segue. "Sure," I agreed, feeling quite mischievous as I wound my fingers through his. "Let's go."

He must have been eager to give me my graduation gift, because human velocity apparently wasn't fast enough for him. He scooped me up again and nearly flew up the stairs to his room. He set me down at the door, and darted into his closet.

He was back before I'd taken a step, but I ignored him and went to the huge bed, plopping down on the edge and then sliding to the center. Edward climbed onto the bed to sit next to me, and lifted my left wrist, pulling it towards him and touching the silver bracelet for just a moment, then giving me my arm back.

I examined it curiously. On the delicate chain, I now had four charms- as well as the wolf, the moonstone and the eagle, there now hung a brilliant heart-shaped crystal. It was cut in a million facets, so that even in the subdued light shining from the lamp, it sparkled. I inhaled in a low gasp.

"It was my mother's." Edward said quietly. "I inherited quite a few baubles like this."

"It's beautiful," I tell him, gently touching the crystal with my fingertips.

"I thought it was a good representation. It's hard and cold." He laughed. "And it throws rainbows in the sunlight."

"You forgot the most important similarity," I murmured. "It's beautiful."

"My heart is just as silent," he mused. "And it, too, is yours." I twisted my wrist so the heart would glimmer. "Thank you. For both."

"No, thank you." He said, and I leaned into him, ducking my head under his arm and cuddling into his side. It probably felt similar to snuggling with Michelangelo's David, except that this perfect marble creature wrapped his arms around me to pull me closer. 

The sigh he makes surprises me, because it sounds heavy and regretful, and I pull away to look at him, startled. 

"Edward?" I ask. His face is troubled, pained almost, and I bite my lip. "What is it?" I ask, nervously, wondering what had happened to the relaxed moment.

"Bella," Edward said, seriously, his beautiful face oddly intense, "I love you and I would do anything for you."

"Er, I already knew that?" I respond, unnerved. "I mean, not that it's not nice to hear it again..."

"I want you to know this, as I have an extraordinarily hard request to make of you." Edward meets my gaze, solemnly. 

"How bad is it?" I ask, already dreading his answer. 

"The worst." He assured me, grimly. "It's about the wedding."

"What? What is it?" I ask, my mind racing with scenario after scenario. I don't regret saying yes for a second, but I'd somewhat forgotten about all the hooha and froufera that came with weddings- I was a private, low key person, and I wondered, wildly, if Edward was going to want a froufera.

"Bella," Edward says, slowly, "Alice wants to plan the wedding." Horror gripped me, pure and unadulterated. Hoping that this was some sort of tasteless joke, I looked up and met Edward's eyes, only to see the painful truth in them. 

"Oh sweet, merciful Rowena," I whimpered pathetically. 

"I'm begging you, Bella," Edward pleads. "Your happiness means everything to me, but... Alice's whining is  _driving me up the wall._  Have you heard her whine? She's had  _decades_  to learn the most annoying ways to do that— she can make a one syllable word have fifteen syllables. I know. I counted." 

"I'm not even going to dignify this- this  _ridiculousness_  with a response other than this one informing you of my decision!" I'm ashamed to say I practically shriek. Edward's expression turns utterly dejected and I can feel my guilt resting uneasily in my lower abdomen, as well as a preemptive sense of defeat. I was fully aware of the fact Alice was practically an unstoppable force of nature, and that if she wanted something, she fought damn hard to get it- and she was  _not_  above playing dirty.

"She's going to want froufera." I say, glumly. Edward looks confused. "Lots and lots of froufera," I continue, "and there will be too many people and a ten-tiered cake she'll have imported from Paris and my wedding dress will be worth more then Charlie's entire retirement fund!"

"Is... is that a yes?" Edward asks, looking hopeful.

"Noooo," I whine, mournfully, grabbing one of the ostentatious, decorative cushions on Edward's bed to bury my face in. "Maybe." I mumble into the silk.

Edward lets out a sigh of relief, tugging away the silk cushion then gently cradling my face so he can kiss me, slow and steady. I melt into it.

I love how Edward kisses me. It's not demanding or aggressive. It's not sloppy, or over-eager. Slow, sensual, equal parts soothing and thrilling. Our lips and tongues slide together, and I'm dizzy with it. I keep forgetting to breathe.

He's the one to initiates  _more_ , for once. As he kisses me, his left hand parts the hair over my shoulders, and the fingertips of his right hand just barely trace the curve of my breast under the thin barrier of my sweater. I hear a low moan escape me and feel my face blush fiercely. He doesn't laugh at me, but presses his lips to the corner of my mouth, my temple, my pulse. I feel like I'm floating while he leaves wet petals all over my skin. I hook my legs around his waist as he moves back to place butterfly-light kisses on my neck, right over my fluttering pulse. Raising my hips to rub against him, we both let out sounds of pleasure. My fingers scrabble at his shirt, somewhat uselessly, but he quickly gets the message, pulling it off and discarding it somewhere. I take a moment to appreciate the sight of his chest, making a note to explore it  _thoroughly_  next time- with my tongue- before pulling him back onto me. 

He lets me direct his movements and I move my hips up again. As the tingling builds up with each firm brush, I start panting, my hands gripping Edward's shoulders- tight. If he were human, I was fairly certain my nails would have punctured his skin, leaving smears of blood. He leans forward, his mouth pressing against mine, kiss-swollen lips meeting delicious marble. When the tingling and heat pooling in my lower abdomen reaches its crescendo my back arches off the bed as I cry out. Pleasure rushes through my veins, and I slump to the bed, trembling and panting. Edward makes a muffled groaning sound, his hips making an aborted jerking movement, before he rolls off me, so that he's laying beside me. A peek down reassures me that he's reached his climax too. 

I move my body, my skin still feeling oh-so sensitive, so that I'm draped over his chest. Edward kisses the top of my head and I let out a happy little sigh. In the warm afterglow, I let my eyelids droop shut, and I drift off, feeling so safe, so fulfilled, and so, so  _loved_...

_...I tried to watch where I was stepping, but there were so many bodies littering the ground that it didn't matter. The once green grass had been stained red. Up ahead I heard laughter. The sound was terrifying in its ruthlessness. Whoever was laughing seemed to have already lost touch with sanity._

_Deciding that the laughing man had to have some part in this massacre, I headed in the direction of the sound, stepping through the broken, blasted open Entrance Doors of Hogwarts. The closer I got, the harder it was to follow. As I entered the Entrance Hall, bodies were strewn across the flagged stone floor, silent and discarded. The sound seemed to echo everywhere around me. I continued to walk in what I hoped was the right direction, towards the Great Hall. The laughing grew louder._

_I tripped and fell over a body. Looking down, I recognized the young woman, not even an adult yet, her gentle features with her slanted eyes, porcelain skin and long, dark hair (Sue, poor, poor Sue). My stomach tightened at the death surrounding me. Ahead of me, the laughing continued. Now there was a hint of familiarity to it. Each step became heavier as I grew closer to the double doors leading into the Great Hall I knew what in front of me._

_A drop of sweat hit the ground, joining the river of blood that had already begun to flow. The doors were right in front of me now, the laughter a constant mocking, taunting me to come closer. To see who it was behind the sound. With a clear finality that only comes when surrounded by death, I pushed the doors open. My heart shattered as I saw the man responsible for the laughter, and I screamed as I stared at gleaming red eyes set in a snake-like face._

"Bella! Bella, you're okay- you're safe, you're in Forks, you're here with me, you're safe, love-" I latch onto Edward, burying my face into his shirt as my body shook violently.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I kept gasping into the material of his shirt. 

"Don't be sorry," he murmured, rubbing soothing circles on my back. 

"It's- it's this stress," I admit to him, "I just..." I shake my head slightly, face still pressed against his shirt. "What time is it?"

"Just after seven." He says, and I nod.

Pulling away from him slightly, I can see the sun is already rising, and there are small clouds scuttling too quickly across the sky. The wind rocketed the treetops till the whole forest looked like it was going to shake apart.

The Cullens got home around noon. There was a new, businesslike feel to the atmosphere around them, and I felt grim with the knowledge of what was coming.

Except Alice, of course- she was far too occupied to be worried by something as inconsequential as an army of newborn vampires that she and her family were going to have to fight.

"You won't regret this," she sang, a huge smile on her face. I glowered unhappily at her, not needing to know what she was so gleeful about. 

"There are conditions," I warn her, and she waves her hand dismissively. 

"You make the guest list, get to veto the venue and I'm not allowed to spend more money then the average yearly income of a small country." She lists. I sigh.

"Please don't go overboard on this, Alice." She widens her eyes and presses a hand against her heart. 

"Bella!" she gasps, "Do you really think so low of me that I'd do that to you?" 

"Yes." I glare at her, and the innocent expression turns mischievous. 

"I'm glad we know each other so well, future sister of mine." She says, laughing and dancing out of the way as I lunge forwards in an attempt to smack her shoulder. "Pack a jacket!" she calls back over her shoulder, "it's going to be cold!"

"I hate you!" I yell after her disappearing form. 

The Cullens had more than enough outdoor gear, and Edward quickly found me a thick, outdoor jacket, as well as hiking boots that fitted me suspiciously well, as did the thermals. The knitted beanie was hand-made, and I suspected one of the Cullens had made it and I made a mental note to get Edward to tell me which one so I could thank them.

Dressed in my outdoor gear, I felt slightly ridiculous, but I trusted Alice when she said it was going to be cold. When I was finished changing, Edward handed me his phone. "Why don't you call Jacob and tell him we'll be ready for him in an hour or so. He knows where to meet us."

Jacob wasn't home, but Billy promised to call around until he could find an available werewolf to pass the news to.

"Don't you worry about Charlie, Bella," Billy said. "I've got my part of this under control."

"Yeah, I know Charlie'll be fine." I didn't feel so confident about his son's safety, but I didn't add that. 

"I wish I could be with the rest of them tomorrow." Billy chuckled regretfully. "Being an old man is a hardship, Bella."

The urge to fight must be a defining characteristic of the Y chromosome. They were all the same, with so little comprehension of what it was actually like to fight for your life, of the almost paralyzing terror, the knowledge that any breath you took could be your last. They had so little comprehension of this and I was dangerously close to hating them for it, all of the wolf-shifters, who treated this like a game. 

"Have fun with Charlie." I manage to keep my frustration and anger out of my voice.

"Good luck, Bella," he answered. "And... pass that along to the, er, Cullens for me."

"I will," I promised, surprised by the gesture. 

"Billy said to tell you 'good luck.'" I said as I handed Edward back the phone, belatedly realizing that he would have heard it anyway.

"That was generous of him," Edward said. I didn't respond, not that interested in Billy finally pulling the stick out of his arse.

We were waiting for Luna and Malfoy to arrive back before Edward and I left to go make the trail, and I was anxious and jittery. Edward's sigh of relief was what alerted me to their return.

Luna looked older and sadder then when she'd left, and I pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged me back, just as tight, and we stayed like that for several long moments before parting. I turn to Malfoy, who looks like he hasn't eaten since he and Luna left for England, and the bruise-like shadows under his eyes are almost as dark as a vampire's. 

"How did it go?" I ask Luna, quietly. 

"Draco got to say goodbye to his father," she answered me, just as quietly. "We scattered the ashes earlier today. Draco wanted to bury his father on the manor grounds, but the Ministry seized Malfoy Manor, as well as freezing the accounts, so he had the body cremated instead."

"And Narcissa Malfoy?" 

"She and Draco got to speak- Azkaban is set up like a muggle prison now, so he'll be able to visit her once a fortnight, and there are no Dementors and no forced isolation." Luna sighs, looking tired. "I believe it was Hermione and Harry's work that had the prison changed so drastically."

I hug her again and kiss her cheek. "Go get something to eat," I order her, "and then rest. And... make sure Malfoy does too." Luna brightens somewhat and smiles at me. I roll my eyes. "This still doesn't mean I'm happy or support you in this in any single way." I inform her and she just laughs. 

-

It was twice as far to the clearing as usual; Edward took a long detour, making sure my scent would be nowhere near the trail Jacob would hide later. 

He stopped at the farthest end of the clearing and set me on my feet. "All right. Just walk north for a ways, touching as much as you can. Alice gave me a clear picture of their path, and it won't take long for us to intersect it." He said. I pulled out my wand, laying it flat on my palm.

" _Point me_ ," I murmured, and it spun several times before settling in the north direction.

I wandered into the woods, leaving the clear yellow light of the strangely sunny day in the clearing behind me. The sky was mostly clear, but the wind whipped furiously through the open spaces. In the trees it was calmer, but much too cold for June– even in my outdoor gear, there were goose bumps on my arms. I walked slowly, trailing my fingers over anything close enough: the rough tree bark, the wet ferns, the moss-covered rocks.

Edward stayed with me, walking a parallel line about twenty yards away.

"Am I doing this right?" I called.

"Perfectly."

I had an idea. "Will this help?" I asked as I ran my fingers through my hair, catching a few loose strands and draping them over the ferns.

"Yes, that does make the trail stronger. But you don't need to pull your hair out, Bella. It will be fine."

"I've got a few extras I can spare."

It was gloomy under the trees, and I wished I could walk closer to Edward and hold his hand.

We were almost to the clearing and I could see the wide opening up ahead when in my eagerness I forgot to watch where I was stepping and fell most elegantly on my face. Thankfully, there were some lovely rocks to break my fall. "Motherf _udger_!" 

Both of my palms were scraped and small beads of blood were swelling where the skin and been grazed deepest. "Oh, well isn't that just fabulous," I muttered.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, just a bit of blood." Edward was right next to before I could even finish speaking.

"I've got a first aid kid," he said, and I poked him, seeing as grabbing his hand wasn't currently an option.

"I'm a big girl, Edward," I tell him, unable to help my smile, "This isn't the first time I've grazed my hands, and it probably won't be the last. I don't need a first aid kit." He looks unhappy but I'm firm. "Besides," I grin at him as I walk over to a nearby rock and press my palm against it, leaving small streaks of crimson on the cold surface, "I can get some use out of this. I'm pretty sure Jasper will love this." 

"What are you doing?" Edward asks, before it clicks as I drag my other palm across some draping fronds. "I think you're going overboard." He says.

"I'm being thorough." I correct him.

We broke through the last of the trees as I spoke and I let both my palms graze across the ferns.

"Well, you have," Edward assured me. "The newborns will be frantic, and Jasper will be very impressed with your dedication. Now let me treat your hands– you've gotten the wounds dirty."

I sigh but let him clean the grazes, which have stopped oozing blood. He's packing the first aid kit back up when the wind tears through the clearing, lashing my hair around my face and making me shiver. In an effort to chase away the cold, I cast a warming charm on my jumper and tuck my hands under my armpits. 

"Where are we meeting Jacob?" I ask as we start heading across the clearing, towards the other side.

"Right here." He gestured to the trees in front of us just as Jacob stepped warily from their shadows. It shouldn't have surprised me to see him human. I wasn't sure why I'd been looking for the big red-brown wolf. 

"Hey, Jake," I greeted him when we got closer.

"Hi, Bella."

"Hello, Jacob," Edward said.

"Edward." Jacob tried for a smile that wasn't exactly successful, but at least he tried, before switching to all business. "Where do I take her?"

Edward pulled a map from a side pocket on the pack and offered it to him. Jacob unfolded it. "We're here now," Edward said, reaching over to touch the right spot. Jacob recoiled from his hand automatically, and then steadied himself. Edward pretended not to notice. "And you're taking her up here," Edward continued, tracing a serpentine pattern around the elevation lines on the paper. "Roughly nine miles."

Jacob nodded once. 

"When you're about a mile away, you should cross my path. That will lead you in. Do you need the map?"

"No, thanks. I know this area pretty well. I think I know where I'm going." Jacob seemed to have to work harder than Edward to keep the tone polite.

"I'll take a longer route," Edward said. He stared at me unhappily. He didn't like this part of the plan. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I couldn't apparate somewhere I hadn't been, so this was a necessary "evil".

"See you soon," I smiled and he smiled back at me before he faded into the trees, heading in the opposite direction.

As soon as he was gone, Jacob turned cheerful.

"What's up, Bella?" he asked with a big grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Same old, same old."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Bunch of vampires trying to kill you. The usual."

"The usual."

"Well," he said as he shrugged into his jacket to free his arms. "Let's get going."

"Nu-uh," I shake my head, "you're not carrying me around like I'm three years old, Jake. I've ridden thestrals and hippogriphs– a wolf shouldn't be any different."

"You... you want to ride on my back while I'm in wolf form?" Jacob asked, incredulously. I smile sweetly at him.

"Do you have a problem with that, Jacob?" He laughs.

"Aw, hell no! You better hold on tight, Bells!" 

"Challenge accepted." I grin.

 


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:**

 

Riding on a wolf-shaped Jacob's back was a marked improvement on riding a thestral- for one; I could actually  _see_  him (although that wouldn't be a problem anymore, should I ever need to ride a thestral again). And then there was the fact that he was running, with all four of his legs currently  _on the ground_ , not flying through the  _air_. 

My legs gripped his sides tight, while my hands bunched in the thick fur of the ruff of his neck. It was sort of like riding a horse, his steady gait was oddly soothing, even as he ran fast enough that the wind turned my face numb and made my ears ache. 

Alice was right when she warned us of the weather- the wind shook fiercely through the trees around us, and it felt like it was blowing straight off a glacier. The sharp sound of wood cracking echoed off the mountain. Though the thin light of the sun was vanishing as the grisly cloud covered the sky, I could still see the little white specks that fluttered past us.

It took us a little under an hour to reach the point we'd arranged to meet Edward, who was pacing back and forth across the little open space. Flurries were falling around us, but the wind was too fierce to let them settle anywhere. 

"Bella!" Edward called out in acute relief. He flashed to my side, sort of blurring as he moved so swiftly. I could feel Jacob cringe and I swung my legs around, sliding off his side. Edward caught me before my feet could even touch the ground and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Thank you," he said over my head. His tone was unmistakably sincere. "That was quicker than I expected, and I truly appreciate it."

I twisted to see Jacob's response, the large wolf dipping its head before making a small noise that sounded almost like a growl, but not quite. 

"We'll be at my house tonight," Edward assures him, in response to whatever Jacob had been thinking. I poke Edward, who murmurs, "He wanted to know if we were spending the night here."

"Way too cold," I shake my head, "plus now I know where it is, I can apparate here tomorrow, no problem." Jacob made a sort of growling noise, bounding off towards the murky forest. 

"He's going to head back," Edward informs me, his mouth in an unhappy twist as he looks up at the sky above us. It was black now with the storm, sprinkled with the swirling bits of snow- I hoped the weather would clear up before tomorrow so I wasn't hiding out up here during a snowstorm. 

I apparated back to the Cullen's house, taking Edward with me, and I kissed him on the cheek before going to find Luna. She was sitting up in her bed, awake, while Malfoy looked basically unconscious next to her he was sleeping so deeply. 

I carefully sit down beside her, and pull the thick blankets up so they're covering my legs. "It was pretty bad, huh?" I murmur. Luna sighs. 

"I barely managed to convince Draco not to be present for the execution, and then some of the Wizengamot wanted him to stand trial for his part in Professor Dumbledore's death. Harry convinced them that everything Draco had done since accepting the Mark was under severe duress. He was quite impressive, really. Demanded to know how they would have stood up to V-Voldemort, if they would've stared down his wand and stood their ground while he tortured them with the Cruciatus Curse for an indeterminable amount of time, would've continued standing up to him even while he threatened their family's lives and allowed his other Death Eaters to take turns tearing their flesh apart and crushing their bones into irreparable fragments, making their loved ones suffer right before their eyes, only to leave them on the brink of insanity, leave them just that much alive so that they wouldn't even have the kindness of a quick death after they have lost everything, when they didn't even have the balls to say a dead man's name."

_Voldemort_. Despite Luna's words, I couldn't help but shudder, just the word alone enough to make me cringe inside. I knew it was silly and it was only a name, and the name of a dead 'person' at that, but it was a name associated with fear, death and loathing. 

Voldemort had hated everything I was and everything I stood for, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he had done with utmost best to bring everyone else onto his side, and had attracted an immense number of followers. I knew, of course, that this had been because so many people were afraid, but that didn't make it any better. If only more witches and wizards had been willing to stand up and fight, then maybe Voldemort wouldn't have had the opportunity to get as strong as he had; ignorant attitudes had aided his bid for domination and power, and with people scared to even say a dead man's name, it made me wonder what else there had been left for him to taint and destroy.

Still, Harry was right- bloody hypocrites. Condemning Malfoy for his actions, when they would have done the same in his place. 

"So he's safe from prosecution then?" I ask, before quickly adding, "not that I care." Luna looks like she wants to roll her eyes, except I've never seen her do that before- ever- and this is no exception. Instead she pats my cheek in a sort of condescending way. 

"Yes, Bella, he's safe from any legal repercussions for his actions during the war, except..." she hesitates slightly then sighs. "He's not welcome in Britain anymore."

"What?" I ask, shocked. 

"He's been given a month, starting yesterday, to wrap up any business he has in the United Kingdom, before being banned to ever set foot within its borders ever again." 

I feel more then just slightly horrified by the idea that Malfoy is being forced to leave the only home he's ever known, never to be allowed back.

"That's harsh," I say, shaking my head. Luna sighs again.

"Yes, it is, but I think it's half for his own safety, to protect him from people who are still angry- so, so angry." She shakes her head lightly, with a small shudder. "They're not scared, Bella, not anymore, and they want revenge." We sit there, silent, for a moment. I speak up first. 

"What business does he have to wrap up?" I ask, "you mentioned that they seized Malfoy Manor and froze the Malfoy accounts." 

"He's petitioning to have his accounts unfrozen, but Malfoy Manor is considered a crime scene, and Harry said it's going to be pulled apart." 

"Oh hell," I say, unable to help feeling sorry. "And there's nothing he can get out of there?" 

"Harry told him to write up a list and he'll see what he can do," Luna leans into me, and I wrap an arm around her waist. She looks tired.  

I feel tired, and sort of like I want to lay down on this wonderfully soft mattress and just doze off, but I've got one more trail to set today before I can finally rest. 

-

"So how do we do this?" I wonder, aloud. "Should I cut myself and splash blood down, or should I leave signs, like, 'here I am, come and get me'?" 

Beside me Luna shivers, drawing her cloak tighter around her body. "I think your scent should be enough," she says, and I nod, blowing on my fingers, trying to warm them up.

It's a little past six in the evening and we're both standing on the stony peak where Jacob had taken me earlier today. Earlier, Luna had claimed that she wanted to talk to Harry about his possible help for tomorrow. I'd been immediately horrified at the thought of including Harry in my problems, but Luna had given me a  _look_  and I realized what she was doing. 

Edward wasn't aware of the fact I was planning on luring Victoria to me so I could finish this grudge match she had against me for once and for all, but Luna was, and it had been her idea to set a third trail, this one to catch Victoria's attention. 

"Okay- so how far do I need to walk, and in which direction?" I ask her and she tilts her head to the side then points in a direction I think is roughly east. 

"I'll tell you when to stop," she says and I cast about my fifth Warming Charm since apparating here, and start traipsing through the snow. 

Before long, my teeth are chattering against each other so hard I feel like my jaw is going to crack and my teeth all shatter; my feet are frozen, my hands are frozen, my face is frozen and my nose and ears feel like they're about to fall off- and they hurt so much I'll be  _glad_  of it. Beside me Luna isn't doing much better. 

"God, I'm freezing," I mutter, under my breath, tucking my hands under my armpits. 

"It's supposed to be a good sign that we can still feel the cold," Luna offers. 

"Well I can't feel my fingers or toes properly," I sigh. "And I'm pretty sure my nose and ears are about to drop off- what sort of sign is that?" 

"Probably not a good one," Luna admits. She conjures us two scarves, applying Warming Charms to them, and I wrap mine around the lower half of my face. The snow is falling heavily enough that any footprints we leave behind are quickly filled. 

I stumble multiple times along the way, as does Luna, but we manage to keep from falling into the snow, though I do step into a snow drift at one point, and Luna has to pull me out of snow that reaches up to my waist, thick and freezing. 

"Th-this is wh-where she'll p-pass," Luna says, finally, and I look over at her hopefully. 

"D-does this m-mean we c-can go b-back to th-the warm?" Her apologetic expression makes my heart sink and I groan. "W-we h-have to m-make our w-way back, d-don't we?" I ask, miserably. 

"Y-your scent d-disappearing w-would be v-very s-suspicious," she points out, gently.

"W-we were w-walking for n-nearly an hour," I moan.

"And n-now w-we have to w-walk back." Luna says, looking just as miserable as I feel. I sort of want to cry, but I'm pretty sure my tears would just turn into ice and then I'd just be even colder- not that that feels possible.

Pulling off my glove I resist the urge to start swearing, instead I scratch my nails against the scrape on my palm from earlier. Tiny drops of blood well up and I shake my hand, scattering small ruby droplets out into the wind, and the snow.

"L-Let's g-go," Luna shivers as I pull my glove back on, and I gladly agree. I have to squint against the whipping wind and heavy darkness as Luna and I start making our way back to the peak. The trees are sparse and large, pine, and all as deep in the drifts as Luna and I are. My legs feel icy and wet up almost up past to my knees. As I walked, I could feel the dull solid thud of cold pressed patiently against me. 

When we finally stumbled onto the open space of the stony peak, I almost did cry, and gratefully grasped Luna's gloved hand with my own. She's the one who apparates us, and I'm surprised when its to Charlie's house, not the Cullens. Then I look at her, and see her blue lips, and the way her hair is plastered to her scalp, and realize that we can't go to the Cullens looking like we've just spent the last few hours trekking through snowy mountains during a snow storm- that would probably raise questions I had no intention of answering. 

"W-We need to g-get w-warm," Luna says, and I don't hesitate to strip out of my cold, wet things. Being naked in front of Luna doesn't bother me any more then it bothers her. Making our way to the bathroom, I gratefully accept the towel Luna offers me, drying myself as vigorously as I can make my frozen limbs move, before we both make our way back to my bedroom. 

Curling up together under the thick blankets, I can feel my shivers finally slowing. "Well that was awful," I tell her, and Luna giggles, the sound high and breathy, before sobering. 

"She'll take the bait," she murmurs. I feel my heart stutter slightly in my chest, before I steel myself.

"Good- it'd be a shame if we'd risked hypothermia for nothing." I say, and Luna giggles again, the sound just as shaky and nervous. 

"Is it ridiculous to be so scared of one vampire when we've fought Death Eaters, fought  _Bellatrix Lestrange_ , V-Voldemort's best lieutenant, and survived?" she whispers, her voice hushed as though sharing some sort of secret. 

"I think any situation where your life is in danger you're allowed to be afraid," I whisper back, even though there's no need to whisper- there's no one else around, Charlie is at Billy's, the Cullens are back at their home, its just Luna and I, all alone in my childhood home. Almost on reflex, I hug her tighter, feeling the still chilled bare skin of her back pressed tight against my chest, our legs curved to fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle slid in place. We stay like that until I can feel the warmth of her skin again where it's pressed against mine. 

It's a little past one in the morning and we both dress back in the clothes we were wearing under our thick snow gear, before apparating back to the bedroom Luna and Draco share. 

Luna kisses my cheek before tucking herself into her bed, under the squishy comforter, curling up next to Malfoy. I quietly exit her room, and make my way to where I know Edward will be waiting. 

"Did you talk to Harry?" Edward asks, and I nod, remembering the cover story, and then yawn. I'm exhausted from my long trek and Edward scoops me up, cradling me in his arms. I don't complain; just let my head rest against his chest. He's cold, but it's a good cold. 

"Let's get you to bed," I think I hear him say, but I'm asleep before I even feel him start moving. 

-

When I woke up in the morning, it was very bright- the sunlight streaming through the window hurt my eyes. My heart sunk and I sighed, quietly. Edward's lips brushed against my forehead and I opened my eyes. "Morning." I said, glumly. 

"Morning, love," he says, his face looking just as miserable as I'm sure mine looks. 

Breakfast is a tense affair. I force myself to eat the eggs Edward had cooked up for me, even though I can't taste them. After I dressed in the outfit Alice had laid out for me; thermals, thick, winter-weight socks, waterproof pants, a light fleece top, hiking boots and a quilted forest green hunting jacket. I'd have thought it was overkill, was it not for my memory of the night before, trekking through the snow. 

The storm has stopped, at least, and when I step outside the wind is icy, but there's no snow, and the sky is bright above us. Luna and Draco are already outside, waiting. I don't see the rest of the Cullens, and assume that's because they're already waiting for the newborns, ready for the fight. 

"How long?" I ask Edward, quietly. He sighs.

"A little under an hour." I shudder, terror flooding my body. I'm not afraid for myself, though- I'm afraid for Alice and Esme and Rosalie, and for Carlisle and Emmett and even Jasper, who more then knows how to fight newborns. I'm afraid for the wolves, the silly, silly wolves who have no idea what a real battle is like. I'm afraid for Luna and Draco and Qiang, all of whom have been dragged into this fight because of me. And I'm afraid for Edward, who I don't think I could ever live without. 

As if he's reading my thoughts, an impossibility, for my mind is one of the very few into which Edward will never be able to look inside, my husband-to-be pulls me into his arms, and I cling to him with a desperation that shocks me. 

"Be safe," I tell him, and my voice is choked, my throat thick. 

"I will, I promise," Edward breathes, before he's kissing me, kissing me with a frantic sort of intensity that has my heart racing and tears stinging my eyes. When we finally pull apart, I can see the agony in his eyes. "I love you." He tells me, and I wipe my eyes with my sleeve.

"I love you too." I tell him, and then he's darting away, vanishing from me. I let out a gasping breath, struggling to pull air into my lungs at the realization that I won't see him again until this is all over. 

Qiang squeezes my shoulder and I turn to her, and hug her. Compared to Edward she's warm and malleable and  _fragile_ , so  _fragile_ , but there's a strength in her grip that has my racing heart slow until I can breathe properly again.

"Are you ready?" she asks me, when I finally pull away. I wipe my eyes again, scrubbing away the moisture on my cheeks, and nod. 

"Let's do this," I say, in a voice that only shakes slightly. I hold her hand in mine, and turn, apparating us both to the stony peak where our fight will be taking place. I almost scream when I see that it's already occupied, and my wand is out and pointing at the figures before I realize who they are.

"H-Harry! Hermione! Ron! What are you doing here?" My voice is nearly a squeak, and despite the situation, my cheeks still go pink as I blush in embarrassment. 

"I told you I was talking to Harry about his help," Luna said, and I turn to her, my eyes wide.

"I thought you were saying that so we could lay the trail!" 

"Technically, I was just saying that," Luna says, thoughtfully, tapping her wand against her lips. "I'd already talked to Harry, earlier, while you were setting the other trail, with Edward and Jacob." 

"But... but why are you here?" I ask the Golden Trio, confused, with a small hint of hysteria building inside me. "Why are you helping?" 

"Because the DA sticks together," Harry says, with a smile. "We wouldn't just leave you to face off against vampires on your own. We may not be Hufflepuffs, but we do understand loyalty."

"I... thank you," I say, not sure what else I can say. I feel almost dizzy with gratitude and warmth and relief. "Thank you."

I notice Seth, standing to the side, looking awkward, and I remember the Portkey in my pocket. Giving the Golden Trio a relieved smile, I make my way over to him. "Hey," I say, quietly, and he smiles back at me.

"Hey Bella. How are you feeling?"

"I've certainly felt better," I tell him, before wrapping my arms around him in a gentle hug. As his long, gangly arms wrap around me, returning the hug, he doesn't notice the Portkey in my hand be slipped into his pocket.

We gather in a loose half-circle, Luna and Malfoy closest to me. Ron and Harry are talking quietly together, voices too low for me to hear, while Hermione and Qiang are discussing something to do with healing spells and Seth stands sort of awkwardly to the side. I look at my watch and my stomach lurches when I see that it's time. 

Seth tilts his head suddenly, and when I strain my ears I think I can hear a low howl in the distance, or maybe I'm just imagining it, because that's what I'm expecting to hear.  "That's my cue," Seth says, and I realize my mistake when he strips off his jacket, then his t-shirt and jeans, toeing off his runners. Dressed just in his boxer shorts, Seth gives a short of shake before his form seems to explode out, a tan wolf standing where the young teenager had stood before, while the portkey, along with his jacket, lay in the rumpled pile of abandoned clothes beside him. 

I swore internally, but I didn't have time to try and think up a back-up plan, because Seth let out a sharp growl, and my heart started pounding hard enough to break my ribs.

There were times that called for the use of ancient and powerful words, the acknowledgement of humans in a crisis everywhere and every-when, since language was first invented, and seeing two vampires entering the clearing, instead of just one, was one of those times. 

"Shit." I said.

 


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY:**

 

The two vampires glistened like diamonds in the sun. I could barely look at the blond boy– yes, he was just a boy, though he was muscular and tall, maybe my age when he was changed, or a year or two older. His eyes, however– the irises a more vivid red than I had ever seen before– were not the ones to hold mine. 

Because, a few feet to the side and a few feet back, Victoria was staring at me.

Her orange hair was brighter than I'd remembered, more like a flame. There was no wind here, but the fire around her face seemed to shimmer slightly, as if it were alive.

Her eyes were black with thirst. She did not smile, as she did in my nightmares– her lips were pressed into a tight line. There was a striking feline quality to the way she held her coiled body, a lioness waiting for an opening to spring. Her restless, wild gaze flickered between the, to her, strangers surrounding me, but never rested on them for more than a half-second. She could not keep her eyes from my face any more than I could keep mine from hers.

Tension rolled off of her, nearly visible in the air. I could feel the desire, the all-consuming passion that held her in its grip. Almost as if I could hear her thoughts, I knew what she was thinking.

She was so close to what she wanted– the focus of her whole existence for more than a year now was just so close.

My death.

The blond boy looked at Victoria from the corner of his eye, waiting on her command, but it was Qiang who acted first.

The fact that she was an adult witch, who had more magical knowledge and training then any of the rest of us, had never quite been so clear to me until that moment, when towering sheets of flames roared into existence, circling the peak and trapping the two vampires in the small mountain clearing with us. I could feel the heat of the flames on my face, and the snow on the ground was melting, mixing with the earth underneath to sludge. 

The raw fear on the two vampires' faces, shocked and desperate and horrified, would be comical, if it weren't for the situation. Harry and Hermione were the next to move; Hermione conjuring a shimmering shield, while Harry blasted a curse at the blonde vampire, a violent curse that exploded a chunk out of the cliff face behind him when the vampire dodged the spell.

Victoria swiftly darted away from the curse Ron sent towards her, while Luna conjured up a shield of her own that the red-haired vampire collided with, when she made to pounce at me. 

Adrenaline raced through my veins as, in that moment, I fully realized Victoria's resolve. It seemed that, for once, escape was the last thing on the older vampire's mind– she had accepted that she was trapped, and instead of trying to find a way to escape, like her instincts must have been screaming, she intended to stay and fight to kill me instead. 

Fighting vampires was not easy– they were fast, blindingly so, and inhumanely strong; lethal, deadly, killing machines. Spells flashed rapidly, lighting up the clearing, and I heard the blonde vampire let out an enraged shout of pain, which was nearly drowned out by a triumphant howl. A brief glance in my peripheral showed that Seth had entered the fray, the tan wolf having tackled the blonde, and processing to rip into the vampire with his sharp teeth, one of the very few things in existence that could pierce a vampire's diamond-hard skin. 

Victoria let out a shriek of rage, pulling my attention back to her, as one of Hermione's spells finally clipped her, and something hard and white went flying past me, into the surrounding flames. An oily tendril of purple smoke joined the darker smoke from the fire, and a scent of a sickly incense began polluting the air. 

Victoria lunged at me again, this time from the side, and I twisted, slashing my wand, a shield blooming into place, shimmering before me like displaced air. Harry and Hermione, working in tandem with an ease that spoke of how long they'd been friends, both shot spells at her as she was forced to stop, suddenly, and she only managed to dodge one, the other causing what almost seemed like a small explosion when it clipped her, reducing one of her arms, and a good portion of her shoulder and upper right torso to rubble. She  _screamed_  in pain, and blurring as she moved back so quickly. Her appearance was almost hideously deformed, sickening to look at. She was hunched forwards, cradling her torso with her remaining arm, and making furious spitting, snarling sounds. 

I didn't let my eyes leave her as I panted, my body trembling slightly, intoxicated with adrenaline. The ground beneath the soles of my boots was wet, muddy, the snow melted down to the earth beneath from the flames surrounding us. My eyes stung from the smoke and the heat, and sweat dripped down my face, down my back, plastering the thermals I was wearing to my skin. 

To my right, the blonde vampire let out a sudden, blood-curdling scream that  _just didn't stop_ , instead gaining in volume. I heard a roar of flames, these closer then the sheets of flames trapping us all on the stony peak, close enough for me to feel the heat burning on my face. I heard the sound of a small explosion, and then, abruptly, the scream just cut off. 

"No!" Victoria cried out, and I almost gasped in shock at the sound of her voice. It was not the strong, wild, catlike growl I would have put with her face and stance, instead it was soft, high– a babyish, tinkling soprano. The kind of voice that went with blond curls, pig-tails and pink bubble gum. It certainly made no sense coming through bared, glistening teeth, from a face twisted and distorted into an ugly thing of hatred and rage.

Victoria moved then, blurring out of my line of sight in her speed, and I heard a crunch, a strangled shout of pain, and then Luna let out a thin cry of pure fear that cut off suddenly. My heart leapt to my throat as I span towards the sound, letting out a strangled cry of my own. 

Luna and Victoria were standing over the smoldering remains of what had previously been the blonde vampire. Malfoy was in a crumpled heap, having been thrown across the clearing by Victoria, with Harry's hastily conjured shield being the only thing that had stopped him from having been tossed into the wall flames to be burned alive.

Victoria's single remaining hand was wrapped around Luna's throat, long white fingers cutting off her airway, and lifting my best friend into the air. Luna's wand was on the ground, lying a half dozen feet from where she was being held captive, and her face was already turning bright red from lack of oxygen. Her hands were uselessly clawing at the vice grip around her neck, while her legs kicked at the vampire, futilely. 

"Stop! Stop!" Victoria demanded, soprano voice pitched high with rage. "Stop or she's dead!"       

There was an instant ceasefire, and I tried not to smell the sickening thick scent of incense in the air, taking gasping, open-mouth breaths instead. "Put out the flames!" Victoria demanded, shrilly. When nobody did anything, all of us still frozen in place, the red-haired vampire shrieked wildly, "put them  _out_  or I will  _crush her neck_!" 

Qiang moved, swished her wand, shouting something harsh-sounding in Chinese. The towering sheets of flame died out, leaving dark grey smoke and muddy trails of water behind, I wasn't the only one who coughed, choking slightly on the thick smoke. 

Through watering and stinging eyes I watched as Victoria backed slowly away from us, towards the forest. Luna wasn't struggling anymore, instead hanging limp from Victoria's iron grip. Her eyes were closed and her parted lips are blue-tinged and swollen. Her tongue was protruding from her open mouth, and her face almost looked purple. A terrible fear gripped me, even worse then when I first saw her at Victoria's mercy.

My horrified eyes meet Victoria's black, thirsty ones, and for a second I'm back in the ballet studio, and my panicked, furious gaze is locked onto a separate pair of black, thirsty eyes. And in a sudden flash of realisation, I know what it is I have to do. 

The non-verbal cutting curse was intentionally a weak one, but I still let out a gasp of pain as my skin is ripped apart by my own magic. I could feel the warm blood seeping from my hip, where I had jammed the tip of my wand, the parted floodgates of my flesh allowing through a steady, oozing stream, slowly growing in volume. 

I wasn't sure when Victoria had fed last, but I remembered all-too clearly in that moment how James, in the ballet studio, despite his hundreds of years of existence, had been thirsty enough that despite all his plans, when my skin split and my blood was out in the open, starting to soak my hair, it had caused him to abandon his plans of torturing me, drawing out my death, instead sending him straight for the kill. 

Victoria should have learned from his mistake. 

The female vampire coiled and sprang, half mindless in her thirst, Luna's limp body casually discarded on the melted snow, dirty blond hair mixing with ash and mud. Qiang's curse hit Victoria before she was even halfway across the peak, shattering the vampire into pieces. It was beautiful, almost, like shards of diamond raining over the clearing, all sparkling under the brilliant sun, reflecting rainbows over us all.

I took a stunned moment to appreciate the startlingly lovely sight, before lurching over to where Luna lay, small body limp on the ground. Malfoy managed to join me, making gasping, groaning sounds of pain as he did so. I could see the blood flecking his lips, could see how each gasping breath of his sent out fresh sprays of blood. He was buckled over, one hand cradling his chest where Victoria's blow must have collided when she sent him flying across the clearing, but despite the agony he was clearly suffering, all his attention was focused on the motionless form of my oldest, closest friend.

I grabbed her wrist with shaking hands, pressing dirtied, bloodied fingers against her pulse point. "Sh-she's alive," my voice sounded more like a sob, one of pure relief. The pulse was much too quick, racing easily as fast as the swiftly-moving hare that was her Patronus, but it was strong. Strong, like Luna. 

"Oh thank Merlin," Malfoy wheezed, spraying more blood, and I let out another small sob, then another and another, until I was actually crying, unable to look away from the violent purple that marked the pale skin of Luna's neck, not letting go of the pale wrist. 

Qiang hustled Malfoy and I to the side, more gently then I would have expected of her. "Miss Granger, help Bella," she ordered. "Mr. Malfoy, don't you dare move an inch until I can look at you- you clearly have multiple broken ribs and if you're spitting up blood then chances are a splinter has pierced your lung– the last thing we need right now is for you to tear a great big hole in your lungs and drown in your own blood."

I let Hermione peel up my jacket, and examine the shallow slice on my hip. It was about five inches long and deep enough to be sending a steady flow of blood down my pant leg, but not enough to endanger me in any way. Hermione pulls out a small bottle of Essence of Dittany, dripping the Essence along the open wound, and the cut heals up, skin easily knitting together and not leaving a trace behind to show that it existed, leaving the blood on my pants to look very out of place. 

Hermione is thorough, vanishing the blood and fixing the tear in the material of the thermals and pants. "You're not going to need a blood replenishing potion– the wound was very artificial and the blood loss minimal," she says, and I nod, only just actually taking on board what she's saying, far too worried about Luna to really give a damn about my own wellbeing. 

"She'll be fine, Bella," Hermione says soothingly, gently squeezing my shoulder. 

"Miss Granger's correct," Qiang says, briskly. "I'll be able to do a more in-depth treatment back at the Cullen's house, but there will be no lasting damage, just some bruises." I let out a sigh of relief that turns into a wince of sympathy as Qiang cuts away the material of Malfoy's overcoat, jacket and undershirt, revealing his bare chest. 

It's a sickening mess of dark purple bruising, almost unreal to look at, and I shudder. Qiang says something loud and harsh-sounding in Chinese that I strongly suspect is a swear of some sorts. She casts several spells in rapid succession, muttering them under her breath, far too quickly for me to even tell if it's Chinese or English she's speaking. Malfoy's chest glows red and I watch then as his eyes close and his body slumps in unconsciousness, his form then stiffening out, almost like Qiang cast the  _petrificus totalus_  charm on him. "Where's that Portkey, Bella?" Qiang asks, not even turning to face me, her wand still waving over Malfoy, and I can hear the strain in her voice. "I can't apparate him, he's bleeding internally and I need to get him back to the hospital room in the Cullen's house– and ten minutes ago at that!"

I scramble over to the pile of Seth's clothes, ignoring the questioning noise from the tan wolf, yanking out the Portkey from the pocket I'd slipped it in, and rushing it back over to Qiang. "Miss Granger, apparate Miss Lovegood back, Bella– try not to get yourself killed while I'm gone." Qiang orders. " _Mobilicorpus_!" She waves her wand over the unconscious Malfoy, before activating the Portkey, and I watch as both of them disappear. Hermione nods at me, gathering Luna up into her arms and vanishing with a pop. 

Seth phases back, and I politely avert my eyes while he yanks on his pants. "I'll be annoyed about that thing you snuck in my pocket later," the young boy grumbles half-heartedly to me. "The fight's over– your vampires are in the clearing, they're all good. I need to go though– Leah got hurt." 

"Hurt?" I ask, managing to summon enough exhausted energy to still be worried. 

"Not badly," Seth assures me, though his expression has turned anxious. "One of the vampires was hiding– Leah spotted him and managed to warn the pack, but not before he attacked and bit a chunk out of her. Vampire venom isn't poisonous to us, but it stings like a bitch and it's slowing her healing." 

"You're too young to swear," I scold him, half-heartedly. He snorts, but he relaxes slightly, and the corners of his mouth turn up. 

"Looks like it all worked out in the end," he says, and I smile back at him, pushing aside the fear for Luna that still hasn't left me, and the new fear I have for Malfoy, of all people, something that even just a week ago I wouldn't have thought possible.

"Go find your sister," I tell him, and he nods. I turn away again as he pulls his pants back off, not looking back until I hear four feet hit the ground. The tan wolf is already vanishing into the trees by the time I turn back around, and I let out a shaky breath before making my way over to where Harry and Ron are standing. Ron is rounding up the bits of the blonde vampire scattered around the clearing, and passing them over to Harry, who is setting them on fire. He looks up at me and gives a tired smile, green eyes warm. 

"Go to your vampire, Bella– we've got this." He assures me, and I give him a relieved, thankful smile, before apparating to the clearing. 

Edward is the first to notice me, being the one most attuned to my heartbeat, breathing and scent. I take a staggered step forward, towards him, and then trip over something– my own feet probably. Edward catches me, and I bury my face in his chest and start to sob again.

"Bella, Bella, are you okay?" I can hear him asking urgently. 

"I'm fine," I gasped. "I'm okay. I'm just freaking out. Give me. A minute."

His arms tightened around me. "I love you, Bella, I love you, it's over now," he murmured, over and over. I clung to him until I could breathe properly again, and then I was kissing him– his chest, his shoulder, his neck– every part of him that I could reach. Slowly, my brain started to work again.

"Are you okay?" I demanded between kisses. "Are you hurt at all?"

"I am absolutely fine," he promised, burying his face in my hair. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine– Victoria's dead." I tell him, "Luna's hurt, but Qiang says she'll be fine too. Draco... I don't know, but he– he should be fine, Qiang and Hermione will fix him."

Edward, who had stiffened at Victoria's name, letting out a low, furious growl, murmurs to me, "Draco, is it?" I wince.

"I'm... ashamed to admit he's grown on me." I mutter. "Like hives. Or necrotizing fasciitis."

"Is that a biology reference?" Edward teases me gently, despite the strain on his face. "I'm so proud of you." I let out a choked sort of laugh, and he hugs me tighter, before sighing. "As glad as I am to know you're okay, I still wish you hadn't come here." He murmurs, and I fight down the instinctive hurt his words cause, instead waiting for his explanation. "We knew there was a good probability of it happening, and earlier this morning, Alice saw that the Volturi decided it was time to intercede." He tells me and I shudder, my breathing starting to quicken. 

In the vampire world, the Volturi were the monsters that hid under the bed after killing the demon that had previously lived there (and were often identifiable by their distinctive hats, which tended to resemble the heads of demons that lived under beds). 

Them coming here was  _not_  good news.

"Don't panic," Edward tells me, striking my hair, looking down with anxious golden eyes. "They aren't coming for us. It's just the normal contingent of the guard that usually cleans up this kind of mess. Nothing momentous, they're merely doing their job. Of course, they seem to have timed their arrival very carefully. Which leads me to believe that no one in Italy would mourn if these newborns had reduced the size of the Cullen family." The words came through his teeth, hard and bleak. "I'll know for sure what they're thinking when they get to the clearing." He says, grimly. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask him, my heard thudding against my chest in a furious rhythm. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he counters. "I know you well enough, Bella, to know that Victoria finding you today was not a coincidence."

"It was under control." I tell him, and it sounds weak to my ears. Edward doesn't keep pressing, though, he just kisses my forehead. 

"And I promise that this is under control too, Bella." He says gently, and I slump in his hold. 

"I should have trusted you," I whisper, guilt and shame curling in my stomach. He holds me tighter to him. 

"Let's make a deal," he murmurs, "no more secrets between us– I think there's been enough in this year alone to last a life time."

"No more secrets." I agree. "Not again. Not ever."

A strange sound attracts my attention, almost like high whimpering, a wretched sort of sob, and I turn towards it, getting my first proper look at the clearing around me. 

It looks so different from the place where the practices games had been held, where once a game of baseball had been played. The Cullens, Eleazar and Carmen all stood in a loose semicircle around a large bonfire. There were hardly any flames visible, just thick, purple-black smoke, hovering like a disease against the flattened grass. Jasper stood closest to the solid-seeming haze. He had his back to me, and his shoulders were tense, his arms slightly extended. There was something there, in his shadow, something he crouched over with wary intensity, that had made the truly miserable sound that had attracted my curiosity. 

It was a small vampire girl, who was curled into an even smaller ball. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, where she was curled beside the flames. She was very young. Younger than me— maybe thirteen or fourteen, dark-haired and slight. Her eyes were focused on me with a sharp intensity, and the irises were a shocking, brilliant red. Much brighter than the blonde vampire from the clearing's, almost glowing, and wheeling wildly out of control.

I turned to Edward, silently asking for an explanation. "She surrendered," he told me quietly. "Certainly something I've never heard of before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesn't approve."

The young female suddenly threw her head back like an animal and wailed shrilly.

Jasper growled at her and she flinched back violently, but her fingers dug into the ground like claws and her head whipped back and forth in anguish. Jasper took a step toward her, slipping deeper into his crouch. Edward moved with overdone casualness, turning our bodies so that he was between the girl and me. I peered around his arm to watch the thrashing girl and Jasper.

Carlisle was at Jasper's side in an instant. He put a restraining hand on his most recent son's arm. "Have you changed your mind, young one?" He asked, calm as ever. "We don't want to destroy you, but we will if you can't control yourself."

"How can you stand it?" the girl groaned in a high, clear voice. "I want her." Her bright crimson irises focused on Edward, through him, beyond him to me, and her nails ripped through the hard soil again. She was young enough, new enough, that the lack of burn accompanying my scent did nothing to dissuade her thirst. 

"You must stand it," Carlisle told her gravely. "You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that will save you now." The girl clutched her dirt-encrusted hands around her head, yowling quietly.

"Shouldn't we move away from her?" I whispered, tugging on Edward's arm, the sympathy I was feeling for the girl jabbing inside me sharp enough that it hurt. The girl's lips pulled back over her teeth when she heard my voice, her expression one of torment.

"We have to stay here," Edward murmured. "They are coming to the north end of the clearing now."

After a second of fruitless searching on my behalf over at the north tree line, I gave up and turned back to the poor girl. She was still watching me, her eyes half-mad, and I met her stare for a long moment. Long dark hair framed her alabaster pale face, and it was hard to tell if her features were beautiful, twisted as they were by rage and thirst. The feral red eyes were dominant— hard to look away from. She glared at me viciously, shuddering and writhing every few seconds. I wanted to cry for her, to cry for this poor kid who had suffered so badly, who was still suffering so badly now, due circumstances so far out of her control, because of something she should never have been dragged into. Almost as if she was sensing the direction of my thoughts, the girl's glare lessened, turning from burning rage to an overwhelming, agonised pain.  

_I'm so sorry._

Carlisle and Jasper suddenly began to back toward the rest of us, and Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Carmen, Eleazar and Esme all converged hastily around where Edward stood with me. A united front, as Edward had said, with me at the heart, in the safest place.

I tore my attention away from the wild girl to search for the approaching monsters.

There was still nothing to see. I glanced at Edward, and his eyes were locked straight ahead. I tried to follow his gaze, but there was only the smoke— dense, oily smoke twisting low to the ground, rising lazily, undulating against the grass. It billowed forward, darker in the middle.

"Hmm," a dead voice murmured from the mist. I recognized the apathy at once and hate burned low in my gut, strong enough for Jasper's eyes to flick in my direction. 

"Welcome, Jane." Edward's tone was coolly courteous.

The dark shapes came closer, separating themselves from the haze, solidifying. I knew it would be Jane in the front— the darkest cloak, almost black, and the smallest figure by more than two feet. I could just barely make out her angelic features in the shade of the cowl and I gritted my teeth as I stared across at the petite vampire. Jane was one nasty– well, I would call her a witch, but that would just be insulting myself, so I settled for bitch. 

The four gray-shrouded figures hulking behind her were also somewhat familiar. I was sure I recognized the biggest one, and while I stared, trying to confirm my suspicion, Felix looked up. He let his hood fall back slightly so that I could see him wink at me and smile. Edward was very still at my side, tightly in control.

Jane's gaze moved slowly across the luminous faces of the Cullens and then touched on the newborn girl beside the fire; the young girl had her head in her hands again.

"I don't understand." Jane's voice was toneless, but not quite as uninterested as before.

"She has surrendered," Edward explained, answering the confusion in her mind.

Jane's dark burgundy eyes flashed to his face. "Surrendered?" Felix and another shadow exchanged a quick glance. Edward shrugged. 

"Carlisle gave her the option."

"There are no options for those who break the rules," Jane said flatly.

Carlisle spoke then, his voice mild. "That's in your hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught."

"That is irrelevant," Jane insisted, and ugly rage twisted inside me.

"As you wish." Carlisle said quietly. 

Jane stared at him in consternation. She shook her head infinitesimally, and then composed her features. "Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle. He sends his regards."

Carlisle nodded. "I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him."

"Of course." Jane smiled. Her face was almost too lovely when it was animated. She looked back toward the smoke. "It appears that you've done our work for us today... for the most part." Her eyes flickered to the small newborn. "Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle."

"Eighteen, including this one," Carlisle answered. Jane's eyes widened, and she looked at the fire again, seeming to reassess the size of it. Felix and the other shadow exchanged a longer glance.

"Eighteen?" she repeated, her voice sounding unsure for the first time.

"All brand-new," Carlisle said dismissively. "They were unskilled."

"All?" Her voice turned sharp. "Then who was their creator?"

"Her name was Victoria," Edward answered, no emotion in his voice.

"Was?" Jane asked. Edward inclined his head toward the fire, and I was faintly relieved of his ploy that Victoria too had been amongst the clearing. Jane examined the closer bonfire again.

"This Victoria– she was in addition to the eighteen here?"

"Yes."

"Nineteen," Jane breathed. "Who dealt with the creator?"

"I did," Edward told her. Jane's eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside the fire.

"You there," she said, her dead voice harsher than before. "Your name." The newborn shot a baleful glare at Jane, her lips pressed tightly together. Jane smiled back angelically.

The newborn girl's answering scream was ear-piercing; her body arched stiffly into a distorted, unnatural position. I gritted my teeth, hoping to control my stomach while fighting the urge to cover my ears. My hands were shaking, and memories of being held under the Cruciatus swam to the front of my mind.

The screaming intensified and I could feel my magic, restless under my skin, and I clenched my fists, my nails biting into the soft palms of my hands. Above us, I could hear tree branches creaking warningly. 

And then finally,  _finally_ , it was quiet again. 

"Your name," Jane repeated. 

"Bree," the girl gasped, breathless despite her lack of need for oxygen. Jane smiled, and the girl started to shriek again. 

"She'll tell you anything you want to know," Edward said through his teeth, over the sounds of the screaming. "You don't have to do that."

Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes. "Oh, I know," she said to Edward, grinning at him. And Bree just   _screamed_  and  _screamed_  and  _screamed_  and I just  _snapped,_ not unlike the branch falling from the tree behind me. 

My wand was in my hand, and I was speaking the curse I'd heard Qiang use earlier on Victoria before I really registered that I was even moving. 

It was almost...  _anti-climatic_ , the way Jane was reduced to rubble, the dark cloak falling empty to the ground, as the remains of what had moments before been one of the infamous witch twins of the Volturi guard was left scattered across the clearing in pieces no bigger then the size of my fingernail, like small diamonds throwing off rainbows under the sun. 

There was a long moment of shocked silence, nobody seeming to know how to react to what had just happened. I was the one to unintentionally break it. "Oh,  _hell_. Bleeding, sodding, filthy, buggering  _hell_." I breathed in absolute horror. 

Edward burst into movement beside me, and I registered a second too late the bulky vampire- Felix- who had lunged for me. Emmett leaped to Edward's aid, while I stared, horrified. 

Two of the other hulking shadows lunged at me, one that I hit with an overpowered  _incendio_ , while a slight figure that took me a moment to recognise knocked the other from from my path. Bree was snarling fiercely, her strength as a newborn enough to have knocked the massive guard from the air. Her small body was thrown across the clearing in retaliation, but then Jasper was there, lunging to meet the guard. 

The final shadow looked across, burgundy eyes meeting my own, before disappearing from view. 

I didn't have time to worry about the one that had got away, as a fight had once again erupted in the clearing, this time one that was far more even. The vampires were all moving too quickly for me to really see. Ripping snarls, the metallic scream of dismembered limbs and crashes like colliding boulders, filled the air, and I was honestly terrified. My shield leapt into existence, cradling around me, a shimmering protection of raw magic, and I closed my eyes, unable to bear watching. The horror and terror flooding my body was making it difficult to even think properly beyond one sentence. 

_What had I done?_ I thought, feeling violently sick.  _What had I done?_

When at last the clearing fell back into silence, I realized I was crying. My tears were too thick for me to see anything through, and I recognized the panic attack for what it was. My chest felt like it was burning and I couldn't remember when I'd last actually taken a breath. My nails dug deep into my flesh, and I wanted to scream but I couldn't find the air to do so. 

I thought that maybe I could hear Edward speaking, but I wasn't sure. It was a different voice entirely that talked me away from the point of passing out. 

My shield fell and Luna's soft, warm arms wrapped around me. I breathed in the scent of her hair, uncaring of the dirt, smoke and blood I could smell in it, concentrating instead on the underlying floral aroma, with just a hint of the electricity of a storm.

Gradually I blinked away my tears, and stepped back slightly to take in her appearance, never quite letting go. Luna was dressed in one of the hospital gowns Carlisle took home from work and kept in the room he used as a sort of make-shift hospital room- the one I'd been in, while I was in my coma. The large bruise wrapping around her slim neck, undeniably hand-shaped, had been healed from a dark purple to a yellow, brown and green colour. I looked down at her bare feet and sighed.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" My voice was scratchy, and legible. 

"The opalspoors were quite insistent I come to you." She says, and my laugh still sounds more like a sob then an actual laugh, but I just pull her to me, to hold her tight again. 

"I- oh sweet Morgana, Luna, I did something terrible and we- we're all in horrible danger," I speak into her hair, and the fear is choking me up again. The Cullens can't take on the entire Volturi guard- looking around the clearing now over her shoulder, I can see that although the three guards seem to have either been defeated, or had fled like the one I'd seen run, it took all of them here to do it, and I was too afraid to look closer to see what injuries my family have suffered. "The Volturi- I killed Jane, and now- now they're going to come after us!" I tell her, and hysteria grips me and squeezes at me until I think I'm going to scream. 

"Calm down, Bella," Luna orders, her voice still calm and steady. "You're a war hero- and an Order of Merlin recipient, at that!- and Volturi and its guard are a registered coven. You can lodge an official complaint at the Wizengamot."

"I can-  _what_?" I ask, dumbfounded. 

"The Volturi have a treaty in place with the IWC- we covered this in History of Magic, remember?" she reminds me, gently. "By attacking you today, they broke that treaty- present your case to the Wizengamot, and they will handle the coven."

"Really?" I ask her, desperately. "Truly, Luna?"

"Really, truly. Hermione's still at the manor- we can have you in front of the Wizengamot within an hour to present your emergency complaint," Luna says, firmly. "Really, truly."

"Then what are we waiting for?" I demand. Loosening my iron grip on her, I turn to Edward. "I'm going to fix this," I tell him, my voice fierce in its resolve. "I swear to you, Edward, I'm going to fix this. I promise." 

He smiles, the stress and fear in his posture almost disappearing as he moves forwards so he can hug me. With Luna wedged between us, her arms wrapped around me still, I'm being held by two of the people I love most in this world. 

"I know, Bella. I trust you." I kiss him over Luna's shoulder, for a long, long moment, before she apparates me away.

 

**A/N: About why Jacob wasn't hurt- well, the way I figured, in the way the Victoria confrontation went down Seth didn't play much of a part so Leah, who already has an inferiority complex of sorts, isn't distracted by having been not quite 'showed up' by her little brother, but proved less useful/capable, and instead successfully warns the pack of the hiding newborn instead of trying to prove herself (and getting Jacob hurt)** **~ _Cheshire Carroll_**


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:**

 

I was in a state of shock, only half aware of the fact that I was standing in what I'd dubbed Luna and Draco's bedroom at the Cullen's. Luna was speaking to Hermione, but I didn't hear what it was she was saying, not really. 

It was Hermione who passed me the phial, who gently guided my hands to press it to my lips.

The artificial serenity of the Calming Potion brought the world around me back into sharp focus. 

"Hermione?" I mumbled.

"Are you back with us, Bella?" she asked, and I nodded. She smiled. "I'm glad. You need to get changed into robes and clean up, and then I'm taking us both to the Ministry. Can you do that?"

"I can," I assured her. She smiled brightly and then shocked me by pulling me into a hug. 

Hermione was taller then me, by about two or three inches, and her body was harder then mine, all lean muscle where I was either soft edges or pointed bone. She smelt like smoke and ozone and pine, and when she whispered in my ear, her voice was firm and fierce. "The Volturi just crossed the wrong witch!"

As Hermione took a step back and gave me another smile, this one as fierce in its passion as her voice, and just as firm in its resolve, I knew that she was almost right; the Volturi had crossed the wrong witch– but it wasn't me.  

I wait until Hermione's left the room before turning to Luna and asking, "when I grow up, can I be her?"

I'm only thirty percent joking.

-

The first thing I noticed about the Wizengamot chambers was that the place looked more like a dungeon from the Middle Ages then any kind of courtroom I'd ever seen. It didn't really seem very comfortable or professional. Possibly the designer had been one of the morbid, dramatic types who'd likely gone mad a few weeks after the room's construction. 

The thought crossed my mind that, if Luna was here, she'd probably tell the Wizengamot to redecorate in purple and yellow in order to deter wrackspurts or some such thing, citing the importance of preserving a just court system, free from interference. 

My inner Luna had a point (about the need for redecorating, not the wrackspurts). The dungeon-like setting of the courtroom probably predisposed wizards to assume that the suspect before them was guilty. And the heavy looking chair in the center of the room– was it seriously covered in  _chains_?– certainly didn't help any. 

"Oh I know," Hermione said, from my side, giving me a commiserating look. "Redesigning the Wizengamot chambers is third down on my list of things I plan to get done before returning to Hogwarts– first is redesigning the entire British wizarding justice system in general, its utterly  _archaic_ , but I'll make sure it's completed before the start of the next school year."

It's sort of terrifying that I believe her when she tells me that, but I'm much less afraid now of the Volturi, and their inevitable retaliation for what I did to She-Devil (aka Jane)– because if everything goes right, then there won't be any time for retaliation.

And after all 't _he supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'._

Well, I won't be fighting– and neither will my family.

Hermione practically makes my case for me in front of the small panel of six members of the Wizengamot, without me having to say a word, laying my official claim that I'm being aggressively pursued/hunted by a coven of vampires. I only have to speak once, confirming what Hermione has been saying– most of it's true, too, so its not really a lie (even if it was, though, I doubt anyone dares to say a word against Hermione Granger, Order of Merlin First Class, Brains of the Golden Trio, Best Friend of Harry Potter– in fact, I'm fairly certain that it's this sort of bias in the court system that Hermione plans to minimise as much as possible, like the processes in the muggle court system, but I'm more then okay with just staying quiet right now and letting her work her magic).

"When it comes down to it," Hermione whispers to me, looking a bit guilty but not too much, while the members of the panel discuss my claim my claim amongst themselves, "the magical legal system has been unfairly used against us mudbloods," here she rolled her eyes, "on so many occasions that we deserve a few cheap shots of our own." I try not to laugh out loud, feeling that it would be inappropriate in the current setting and Hermione looks as satisfied as the cat with the cream. 

When five of the six Wizengamot members file out of the courtroom, I'm terrified for a moment that they've rejected my claim, that the Volturi is going to be left alone– alone to kill my family for what I did.

But when the sixth member walks over to us and I can see the warm smile she exchanges with Hermione, and I relax as they trade familiar greetings. She's an older woman, with lines on her face and grey in her hair, and she has a brisk atmosphere about her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Swan," she says, managing to sound genuine. "Your claim has been approved, and missives are being sent to the Aurors' offices as we speak, where lines of communication will open with the Italian Ministry's Aurors, and a team will be put together to eliminate the coven. The Italian vampires have overstepped their boundaries, and we will not give them the option to do so again. Tell me, Ms. Swan, do you know how that specific coven came about?"

"Only the raw details." I admit. "Binns, my History professor, wasn't exactly thorough if it didn't involve giants or goblins, and Care of Magical Creatures and DADA only covered identifying and fighting them."

"I remember Binns," the witch says grimly, " _vividly_. Well, here's a brief history lesson for you, Miss Swan– once all vampires knew of wizards, and, in the Middle Ages especially, vampire hunting was rampant which led to the vampires learning to fear magic greatly. Three vampires, now self-named the Volturi, created a code among their kind which forbade attention of any sort that could bring them to the attention of Wizarding authority. Any vampire who came close to breaking the Statute of Secrecy was quickly and quietly dispatched by its own kind before the corresponding Ministry was forced to intervene. As time passed, this coven grew in power and decided that knowledge of witches and wizards was dangerous. To counter this, they destroyed any vampire who knew of our existence, and created a world in which it is now believed by their fellow vampires that they are the greatest authority. Obviously we have let this impression of theirs last far too long if they are starting to believe it themselves. I hold the opinion that it's time the vampire communities learn the true highest authority, and for the Volturi's reign to end."

I smile at her. "I really couldn't agree with you more, ma'am."

-

My return to Forks was one of victory. Hermione was staying in Britain, but she created me a Portkey that brought me directly to the living room of the Cullens' manor. 

"Bella!" Edward literally sweeps me off my feet, knocking the air from me with his grip and speed unnaturally strong and fast, in a way he was usually more controlled then to slip up and use. He softens his grip with a look of apology, but I don't care. The amount of stress he must have spent the last hour under... I shiver slightly. 

"It went well?" I heard Esme ask softly, and as Edward set me back down on my feet, I turned and saw that she, Rosalie, Alice and Emmett had all entered the room. 

"It's over," I nod, unable to help my wide smile, or the bubble of almost hysteria building up in my chest. Because it's over, it's actually over, and I almost don't believe it.

Victoria is gone, the Volturi are going to be dealt with, and V-Voldemort's reign of terror has ended. For the first time in what seems like forever, there's actually nothing threatening my life, or the lives of those that I love.

"Sweet, holy mother of Merlin, it's all actually over!" I breathe, in actual amazement and Edward spins me around again to kiss me. He pulls me to him so that our bodies are pressed together so tight that it's almost painful, but it's a  _good_  sort of pain, and all I want is for him to hold me even tighter, in a silent, unspoken promise that he'll never let me go.

When I finally have to push him back slightly, dizzy from lack of oxygen, and turn back to face the room, I can see Esme's warm smile, and the amusement clear on both Rosalie and Alice's beautiful faces. 

Guilt twists in my lower stomach as I notice the stress that has lifted from them– stress that I was responsible for, stress and fear.

"I–" I clear my throat, and Esme's face creases in concern at my abrupt change, from joyful to... this. I look down at my hands, and I can feel the burning shame. "I'm so sorry." I whisper, unable to look up and face her, face them. "I'm so sorry for the danger I put us all in."

"Bella, sweetheart," Esme's voice is gentle, and so are her words. "We're not angry at you, darling."

"No, you should be!" Hot tears prick at my eyes, and I wipe them away, angrily. "I– I never meant to put us in danger, I would  _never_  want to risk that, risk any of you! I just... there's three curses in the wizarding world, Dark curses, that are labeled Unforgiveable." I shudder slightly. "Using an Unforgiveable curse can earn you a life sentence in Azkaban– our prison. They're considered three of the most powerful and sinister spells known to wizardkind. One of them kills– instant death. One of them puts a victim completely under the castor's control– they can make their victim do anything; jump out a window, drown themselves... and then there's the Cruciatus curse– the torture curse."

Edward makes a low, snarling noise, while Alice lets out a furious hiss. I remember, back when Alice came to check on me during the time the Cullens had left, after she had a vision of what appeared to be my death, that I told her about the bare details of the Cruciatus curse– and my experience suffering under it.

"The Cruciatus curse stimulates every pain receptor in the body." I whisper, closing my eyes. "It's pain so intense, so all-consuming, that it can damage the mind and body beyond repair. Luna was tortured with it, while she was being held captive, and... when I had my altercation with Snatchers, they used it on me. Jane's Gift is– _was_ – too similar. I couldn't think properly. I know it's not an excuse, but it wasn't really Jane I was seeing when I destroyed her."

My eyes are still closed so I'm startled when slender arms are suddenly wrapped around me, hugging me tenderly. I'm even more startled when I open my eyes and see who those arms belong to.

Rosalie was not my biggest fan, not at the beginning, anyway. Not for a while really. It wasn't until after the Italy disaster that she actually began to speak to me, though that was mostly due to Luna who Rosalie had mothered through every step of her physical recovery– and then after it. Rosalie was very maternal, I'd discovered, and Luna hadn't had a mother, not for a very long time. 

Still, despite her love for Luna, Rosalie and I had never exactly... well, shared any sort of physical affection– I actually wasn't sure that we'd ever even had any bodily contact before. So the fact she was hugging me now successfully shocked me to no end, but I still relaxed into the embrace, a good part of that due to the relief that she didn't seem to be holding my actions against me. 

And it made me hopeful that I hadn't messed this up, messed up the bonds that I was forging with my new vampire family beyond what was salvageable. 

Or maybe, I thought, as Alice and Esme came forward to hug me too, maybe I hadn't messed up the bonds at all. 

Because family– both the family you chose, and the family you were born into, they forgave you for all your faults. And they stood by you, when you made mistakes. And they didn't stop loving you– they  _never_  stopped loving you. 

-

Edward drives me back to my house, having been firm about no apparating when I'm this tired. And I am tired, I'm exhausted to be frank, but I just don't care, I'm too  _exhilarated_. Oh I'm fully aware that when I finally hit my bed I'm going to crash and probably pass out for the next fifteen hours, but not yet. 

"Bells!" Charlie is practically standing right at the door to pull me a quick hug when I enter the house, and I laugh, and hug him back. "So," he says, taking a step back to look me up and down, carefully checking for any signs of injury, "should I be calling you Bella the Vampire Slayer now?"

"Does that make me Angel or Spike?" Edward asks, while I look at my father, horrified. 

"Neither! Because dad is absolutely never _, ever_  going to ever call me that again!" 

"Angel, I'd say." Charlie answers Edward, completely ignoring my angry exclamation. 

"He would absolutely be Spike!" I argue back, unable to help it. 

"Angel left to give Buffy a chance at a normal life," Charlie counters, "and he was her first love!" 

"But Spike was the one who loved her even when he didn't have a soul– not like Angel, which meant that his love was even greater," I shake my head, and then add on, "plus Spike totally kicked butt. He was obviously more awesome then Angel."

"Yeah, he was," Charlie concedes to my point with good grace, and we share a reminiscent smile. 

When I was younger, before I'd learnt about being witch, I'd spend an obligatory few weeks with Charlie during the summer, as part of the custody agreement. When I was ten, Rebecca Black, one of Jacob's sisters, gave Charlie the first four seasons of Buffy and we sat down together and watched them. Maybe Charlie wouldn't win father of the year for letting a ten-year-old watch a thirteen and over show, but it was a good memory that we shared, and I made a mental note to dig the disks out from wherever they'd ended up and sit down with Luna to watch them again. 

Speaking of which– "Where's Luna?" I ask.

"Ah, well, after you left, Qiang managed to stabilize Dra-Malfoy enough to transport him to St Circe's– apparently it's the American equivalent to St Mungo's? Luna said you'd understand what that meant." Edward tells me.

"You can call him Draco," I tell Edward, with a sigh. "He's going to be sticking around." 

"I was wondering how long that would take. You don't hold grudges well." Edward said, with a crooked smile. 

"I do too hold grudges," I tell him, feeling indignant. 

"It's a compliment, love," he says, looking annoyingly amused now. I scowl. 

"I can to hold a grudge." I repeat with a grumble, before frowning. St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is Britain's wizarding hospital. That Draco had to be taken to America's equivalent of it when Qiang is already a trained medi-witch... "Did she say what was wrong?" I ask, apprehensive. "I think she mentioned internal bleeding, back in the clearing, and broken ribs."

"He sustained significant damage to his chest," Edward says, his expression going from amused to serious. "His lung collapsed, his ribs were badly fractured and Qiang suspected that his spleen was lacerated." I cringed in sympathy.

"What happened to the kid?" Charlie asked, looking a mix of pitying and grim.

"Victoria– the vampire– hit him in the chest." I explain to my father. "Or, rather, she batted him away with the back of her hand. With enough force to send him flying across several meters into the equivalent of a brick wall." 

"Cripes, poor kid," Charlie shook his head, before examining me again, this time more carefully. "Are you hurt anywhere? Don't even think of lying to me, Bells."

"I'm exhausted like I haven't slept in a week, sore like I've just run a marathon, and am currently under the effect of a Calming Potion." I inform him. "And the only real injury I got during the fight was a cut on my hip and Hermione healed that."

"Sensible girl, that Hermione." Charlie nods in approval, "Clever too." 

"Brains of the Golden Trio." I smile. Charlie looks confused, but Edward smiles at me. Charlie just lets it go  

"Billy sent me home with some casserole Sue cooked up," he says, "so don't you worry about dinner tonight. Just come down and heat some up when you're hungry." 

"Billy and Sue, huh?" I wiggle my eyebrows the best I can– eyebrow wiggling is not exactly a talent of mine– and Charlie snorts.

"We'll see." 

I head up to my room, Edward a step behind me, and almost as soon as I close my bedroom door, he is kissing me. I gasp, surprised, and then let out a meep as he lifts me up so my legs are wrapped around his waist, and we're plastered together, my breasts pressed against the hardness of his chest. 

We kiss until my head is spinning and when Edward pulls back to let me suck in several deep breaths while cursing my inconvenient need for air, his liquid topaz eyes are shining, he looks so happy. He's so gloriously beautiful that I decide oxygen is for the weak and tangle my hands in his bronze hair, pulling his mouth back to mine.

I'm not exactly sure when I ended up on the bed, on my back with Edward on top of me, his weight carefully rested on his forearms, but I certainly wasn't complaining. His lips moved along my jaw, up to my ear as I panted, trembled slightly. "I want to eat you out," he breathed, licking my earlobe. I squeaked, going red.

"I– yeah. Yes. I agree with this plan." I manage to stammer out, before my brain pretty much just short-circuited.

I remember reading in my dreaded Biology textbook that after an orgasm, a male will become sleepy due to the release of the hormone prolactin. Edward would never fall asleep after a heavy make-out session and mutual exchange of orgasms, but I seemed to be doing a pretty good job filling the job myself. We'd barely started cuddling after Edward had followed through with his statement (very,  _very_  thoroughly followed through), when I dozed off into a deep, much needed sleep.

 


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:**

 

I slept like the dead and woke up feeling achy in my muscles, but refreshed. 

After yawning out a good morning to Edward, I took a long, hot shower, partially to ease the aching but mostly because the warm water was heavenly. After drying off and getting dressed for the day, I wrapped a towel over my shoulders to keep my shirt dry while my hair was still wet, and made my way downstairs.

Charlie is already gone– he has a double shift today after taking yesterday off, and Alice is sitting in the place at the table where my father usually sits. Edward had already cooked me an omelette for breakfast and I eagerly started on it, not realizing just how hungry I was until there was food right in front of me. 

"So Bella!" Alice interrupted my devouring of my breakfast, a business-like air about her, "I've written up a guest list and a list of possible venues for you to go over so I can progress to the next stage of planning." 

"For what?" I mumble out, between bites of delicious deliciousness. 

"For the wedding," she says, a touch impatiently. I almost choke on my omelette.

"Already!?" 

"The fight only lasted around twenty minutes– I've had plenty of time." Alice points out with a prim sniff. I sigh.

"Fine, show me." She passes me a list of names first– a very long list of names. "Why would I invite Jessica to my wedding? Or Mike Newton?" I ask, incredulously as I start scanning down it. "No and no! And Lauren Mallory? Oh  _hell_  no! In fact, no one from Forks High except Katie and Angela– and Mr. Banner, I guess." I say firmly, before going further down the list. "Tanya, Kate and Irina? You want to invite the Denali sisters to my wedding?" 

"It's Edward's wedding too," Alice points out. "And it's important to Esme that we sort through what happened with the sisters," she coaxes when my expression doesn't change from unimpressed. 

"Sure, fine, do that, sort through the mess and make sure you get them to grovel while you're at it– but not at my wedding, Alice." I say, firmly. "You can leave a  _maybe_  spot for them just in case, but they don't go on the list until we've all kissed and made-up." Alice sighs.

"You're being difficult, Bella."

"It's my wedding, Alice," I counter.

"Fine!" she pouts, and I reach over and try to ruffle her hair, which she neatly dodges. "Any other problems with the guest list?" She asks grumpily, still pouting. 

"You haven't invited Jacob."

"Urgh, fine! Anything else?!"

"Um," I pause on a name, and something in my stomach sinks. 

"Bella?" Alice must have heard something in my voice because the pout is long gone, replaced with a look of concern. 

"What is it, love?" Edward gently touches my shoulder and I force myself to swallow past the lump in my throat. 

"Um, it's just– you put Renée on the list." 

Renée. My mother. My mother who had been pushing me away the moment she found out I was a witch. My mother who I was pretty sure stopped loving me at around that same time. 

Alice doesn't make any dramatic gestures about this possible change to her precious list. Instead, she just asks me quietly, "Should I take her and her husband off the list, then?" I close my eyes and exhale shakily. 

"No– leave it. She should at least get the invitation. She probably won't come, but... at least I'll have given her the option."

"Okay." Alice nods. "Is there anyone you want to invite who I haven't put down?" I finish going down the list. She's already got Harry and Hermione down, but I add a few more names for her, from Hogwarts. 

"Isobel MacDougal, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley; no, actually just make that the whole Weasley family– maybe Neville? Neville Longbottom. Jacob and Billy, though Billy probably won't come. Embry and Quil, to make the Pack happier about Jake. Sue Clearwater– she's close with Charlie and Billy, maybe her kids too; Seth and Leah. You know what? Add Sam, Paul and Jared, too, plus Emily and Jared's imprint... Kim, I'm pretty sure her name is. And... and that's everyone I can think of." Alice's handwriting is beautiful, even as her pen darts across the paper faster then my eyes can follow. 

"Okay, list of invitees– done." She says, then slides across a second piece of paper, this one a list of various venues that I examine just as carefully as the list of possible attendees. 

"I think I like the idea of having the ceremony at the church," I tell them both, glancing over at Edward for reassurance that this is what he wants too. "Charlie's parents got married there– and Angela's dad is the pastor, so I'm sure he'll be happy to officiate. I like the idea of having the wedding reception at your house, too."

"Excellent," Alice stands up, looking very pleased with herself. 

"Hang on, wait a second," I say before she can dash off to go spend a stack of money. "Have we decided on a date?" And by 'we' I meant her. 

"Well, we have to wait until you're eighteen." Alice muses. "So after September 13th. Adding in that we'll need to wait for a weekend, and the weather has to be overcast but not raining..." Her eyes go unfocused as she looks into the future to pick the perfect date. I sigh and resign myself to accepting it, whenever it is. 

"October 6th." Alice announces suddenly. 

"That's..." I do some mental maths. "About three and half months away?"

"Is that a problem?" Alice asks, huffily. 

"No! Definitely not!" I say hastily as she nods briskly. 

"Excellent. I'll see myself out– I have a wedding to plan."

Resigned, I go back to my eggs and Edward moves around so he's sitting beside me. "You don't have to listen to her," he says, quietly. "We can have a small, private ceremony, just our families. Carlisle could get his clerical license– he'd be thrilled, I think. His father was a priest, and he was training to take his place before he was Turned."

The thought of a private, intimate ceremony like that was... enticing to say the least, but– "It will make Alice happy," I tell Edward, with a soft sigh. "It will make Esme happy too– and you, though I know you'd never tell me. And the wedding isn't just for me– Charlie should get the chance to walk his only daughter down the aisle, after all."

"Bella," Edward breathes, and looking at him I start blushing, his expression is so reverent. He takes my left hand, the one with his mother's engagement ring, now mine, and kisses each of my fingertips, and then the ring. 

"E-Edward?" I gasp slightly, and then he kisses me, with a passion that surprises me. 

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" Edward murmurs against my lips.

"To have to put up with me? You probably killed Bambi's mom." I offered in response, and I can practically  _hear_  his eye-roll it's so epic. 

"You're determined to kill the moment, aren't you?" He murmurs.

"Not really," I admit, "but I'm fairly certain if you keep talking like this I'll have to drag you up to my bedroom, and I actually want to go see Katie and Angela and Jacob today first." Edward sighs but pulls back reluctantly. 

"Speaking of... 'bedrooms'," he muses, "if we're having a wedding, then we do get a honeymoon as a consolation prize. If you want one, of course."

"If I  _want_  one?" I ask him, incredulously, and he laughs. 

"I'll take that as definitely a yes for the honeymoon. Is there anywhere in specific you'd like to go?"

"Why don't you surprise me." I suggest, and he looks delighted.

"I have the perfect place in mind," he promises. 

"While we're talking wedding, I feel I should inform you that you're going to need to find three groomsmen and a best man."

"Pardon?" Edward asks, looking adorably confused.

"I want Luna to be my Maid of Honor, and Angela, Katie and Alice to be my bridesmaids." I explain. 

"Well what if I want Alice to be my best man? I've known her longer," Edward argues. I narrow my eyes.

"If you get Alice as your best man, then I get Jacob as a bridesmaid."

"You'll make Jacob be a bridesmaid?" Edward looks far too amused. My lips twitch. 

"I'll let him wear a suit." 

"Or how about we avoid having Alice kill us both, and she can be a bridesmaid and Jacob can be a groomsman." Edward suggests, with a slight grimace. 

"You'd do that for me?" I ask, touched. 

"I'd love to say I was doing it out of the goodness of my heart," Edward says, dryly, "but I'm really doing it to escape Alice's wrath." I can't help but beam at him, anyway. 

"I'm going to finish drying my hair, then can we drive over to the Webers? Katie's probably still there." 

"She is." Edward confirms, and I kiss him quickly before rushing to go finish getting ready. 

Edward drives us again, and I realize for the first time that Charlie must have known that Edward never left our house last night. I take a moment to be well and truly mortified, and another to remind myself that there were silencing charms cast on my room–  _thank you, Luna_ – so my dad wouldn't have heard any...  _noises_. Still– "Did Charlie say anything to you this morning?" I ask Edward. 

"He did, actually." Edward sounds amused and I cringe.

"Oh Merlin– how bad?" I ask in trepidation. "Should I be expecting to be grounded?" 

"No, I think you'll be fine." Edward chuckles softly. "He said 'morning, son'." 

"Really?" I ask, touched by Charlie's gesture. 

"He also informed me that if I broke your heart he'd have Qiang blow me up into so many pieces Humpty Dumpty would be jealous." Edward continues, and I groan, letting my head fall on my hands. 

"I'm never, ever cooking him triple cheese lasagna again." I vow darkly. 

Edward drops me off at the Webers house, needing to head back home for something or rather– he was being suspiciously vague, but I didn't let it bother me.

Truth told, I was still a little nervous about going back over to the Cullens house– Esme, Rosalie and Alice had forgiven me for the danger I'd put them all in, but I hadn't yet faced Emmett, Carlisle or Jasper. Emmett I knew would be fine, but the other two? Carlisle was the  _leader_  of the coven, and Jasper loved Alice with the sort of ferocity that said he'd burn the world for her. And I'd put both Alice and the entire coven in terrible danger. 

Isaiah is the one to answer the door. "Did you kill loadsa vampires?" he immediately asks, before I can even open my mouth to say 'hello', looking worrisomely excited. 

"Er," I say, not sure how to answer that.

"Isaac!" Mei-Xing, who has appeared at the end of the hall, scolds her son and the twin who it turns out is actually  _not_  Isaiah huffs.

"Whatever. Angie's in her room." He says.

"Thanks." I say, stepping around the disgruntled pre-teen. "Hi Mei-Xing," I greet Angela's mom. She smiles at me. 

"I'm very glad you're in one piece, Bella– the way my sister talks about you, I was half expecting to see you in a full body cast." I trade amused looks with Mei-Xing, before making my way to Angela's room. 

Stopping outside her room? I knock and wait for her to call out 'come in!' before opening the door. 

"Bella!" Angela says, surprised, "no, wait–" A black and white blur crashes into my legs, squirms around them and then streaks out down the hall. 

"Bugger." I hear Katie say, and Angela groans. 

"What was that?" I ask, cautiously opening the door fully. Angela's sitting at her desk, a stack of envelopes beside her, while Katie is laying on her back on the bed, with a pair of knitting needles floating above her head that look to be in the process of making a purple and aqua scarf.

"That was my cat, Marbles." Katie says, rolling over slightly so she's facing me. "I brought him over here yesterday." 

"What has him so riled?" I asked, confused at the cat's skittish behavior.

"Nothing, he's always like that, that's why I called him marbles, because the damn cat's lost his." Katie snorted, but I could see the affection in her eyes. "How are you?" she asks and I shrug.

"It still feels a bit unreal, the fact that it's all over finally. I don't I'll actually be able to fully relax until I know that the Volturi has been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" Angela asks, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Ah," I say, "Well, it's a long story."

"We've got time." Katie smiles ever-so-sweetly at me with a dangerous sparkle in her eyes and I admit defeat and start talking. 

I end up staying for lunch at the Webers, before saying goodbye to my friends, who had both happily agreed to be my bridesmaids, and apparating to La Push, to visit my final friend for the day.

I knock on the door to Jacob and Billy's house, and the second it opens I'm yanked into a swelteringly hot hug. "You're not wearing a shirt!" I squawk, my arms wriggling uselessly from where they're trapped against my sides. Jacob snorts, burying his head in my hair. 

"Don't care– you scared the crap out of me with that shit you pulled with the red-haired leech!" 

I immediately feel guilty enough that I stop squirming. 

"Is the Pack angry at me for putting Seth in danger?" I ask in a small voice. Jacob snorts.

"Nah, he was still safer there then he would have been down with us." The thought makes me wince. 

"Seth mentioned that Leah got hurt– is she okay?" Jacob finally releases me, and I shake the feeling back into my arms while he looks on, annoyingly amused. 

"She's got a scar on her flank– er, hip, but other then that she healed up fine. Leah's a fighter, and she's tough as nails."

"She's pretty too," I say, thinking about the night at the bonfire, and the exotically beautiful young woman, with perfect copper skin, silky black hair and eyelashes to die for. 

"Yeah, no, no, nope– not going there." Jacob shook his head. 

"Why not?" I ask, confused. 

"I never told you?" Jacob looks genuinely surprised. "Huh. Well, you know about imprinting."

"Yeah– soulmates that are identifiable with a look after the first shift." I nod.

"Well, Emily is Sam's imprint." Jacob says. 

"I'm a bit confused about what this has to do with why you cut me off before I could even begin to tease you about why you should ask Leah out." I say and he grimaces. 

"Yeah, well, before Sam phased for the first time, he was engaged to Leah." I inhale sharply. 

"Holy crap, that poor girl." I shake my head and Jacob chuckles once– a sound that is entirely without humor. 

"It gets worse– Emily is Leah's cousin, and before the whole imprinting thing, she was her best friend." I just shake my head, unable to imagine the sort of pain Leah must have gone through– what she must  _still_  be going through.

"And because you guys hear each others' thoughts, and see each others' memories when you're phased, she gets to experience how much Sam loves Emily. That's just... hell, that isn't fair." 

"Like I said, I'm not going there." Jacob repeats.

"Don't you dare hurt her like that," I agree, with a fierce glower– if Jacob started dating her and then met his imprint... I couldn't even imagine how that would feel. I didn't want to imagine how that would feel. A strand of hair was shaken loose and I reach up to tuck it back behind my ear. 

"Bella," Jacob says, suddenly, with narrow eyes. 

"Er, yeah?" 

"What is that on your left hand?" 

"Ah," I realize, looking down at the engagement ring. "Right. This. You hadn't noticed?" 

"No," he says, annoyed, "I hadn't noticed the bloody rock on your finger!"

"Well... I'm getting married?" 

"No shit." 

I wince. "This probably isn't the best time to ask, but can you please be a groomsman?" I ask weakly. 

Jacob looks horrified. "What?!"

"Well, technically I wanted you to be a bridesmaid, and Edward wanted Alice to be his best man, but we swapped because Alice would have killed us and  _please stop looking at me like that!_ " 

"What?!" Jacob repeats, like he hasn't managed to properly process a word I've just said.

"Please?" I offer. 

"Fucking hell, I can't believe I'm even considering this!" he complained, running a hand through his shaggy hair. 

"Pleeeeeease?" 

"Fine! Fine! I'll be a freaking groomsman! Shit, Paul is  _never_  going to let me live this down!"

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" I throw my arms around his broad frame, squeezing him as tight as I can. 

"Under the laws of karma, though, you now owe me a very nice favor." Jacob informs me grouchily, when I finally let go. I roll my eyes.

"Screw you."

Jacob winks at me. "Not quite." 

I burst out laughing. "You're a dog, Jacob Black!" I tell him, fondly, between laughs. 

"Woof." He agrees.

 


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:**  
  


**_Italy, Volterra: Corin_ **

_The Volturi castle felt emptier then usual, today. Corin rather liked it, found it a comfort– Alec and Jane both unnerved her, especially Jane, but today Jane was far, far away, in America, and she likely wouldn't be back for days. Alec wasn't that far away– he was only out helping Heidi 'fish', because he got testy when his twin was separated from him, and Corin privately thought that the Masters liked to get him and his... not quite sulkiness, but still very uncomforting moodiness, out of their hair, and sending him out with Heidi was a convenient way of doing so. And if Heidi so happened to need to travel at least a hundred miles from Volterra so as not to draw suspicion on the city? Well, that was surely just a coincidence._

_Jane was off dealing with that nasty Cullen coven with its strange human girl that upset her Masters so. Demetri, Felix, Santiago and Kimon accompanied her– they, along with Alec when it was necessary, were the contingent of the guard Corin's Masters would send when the rules were broken– because when the rules were broken, the secret of their existence- their peace- was threatened and the rule breakers needed to be removed in order to keep the peace._

_Corin still felt a thrill when she thought about how she was part of the coven responsible for the peace, that she was a someone, when before Master Aro had found her and rescued her and made her into what she was today she was a no one._

_She may not be a fighter, but Master Aro had assured her of her importance– without her, without her Gift, Lady Athenodora and Lady Sulpicia might want to leave the castle, and they would be in such terrible danger if they did so! Why, she heard about how the Romanians' had killed poor Master Marcus's mate, Lady Didyme, and how poor Master Marcus had never been the same since. She just couldn't bear it, should Master Aro become like poor Master Marcus, always so sad– she wished that she could use her Gift on him, to make him happier, to make him content, but there was a Law, that nobody must ever, ever use their Gifts on one of the Masters, unless asked specifically._

_As she glided through the beautiful halls of the castle, Corin wondered again if perhaps she should speak up, should offer Master Marcus her Gift?_

_"Corin." Corin startled, golden curls bouncing as Cenhelm fell into place beside her, and greeted her with a nod._

_Cenhelm was one of the guard, with a Gift for precognition, of sorts, when it came to fighting– he wasn't like Kimon, who shared a similar Gift, though Kimon's was more specific, allowing him to know with absolute certainty the exact next move his opponent would make, instead Cenhelm tended to get strong impressions, strong notions, like which opponent would be best for different members of the guard to face, or which day the guard should attack– even which direction they should come from._

_Cenhelm had been the one to train Corin after Master Aro had Turned her– even though she wasn't a warrior, every member of the guard was required to know how to fight. Cenhelm was often given the task of training and assessing new members of the guard, as with his Gift, he'd know which sort of training they'd respond to best, which style of fighting would suit them best, all with a look. Corin admired Cenhelm– not to the extent that she admired her Masters, never would anyone ever measure up to that extent, to the love and adoration she felt for Master Aro, but he was one of the closest things she had to a friend amongst the guard._

_"Good day, sir," she greeted him, politely, with a shy smile, "how do you do?"_

_"Only Cenhelm, Corin," Cenhelm corrected her gently, and Corin nodded, chagrined. Oh dear, she was so very terrible at keeping up with current methods of address. It seemed that as soon as mortals decided upon one way to address each other, a single decade later and it would all be changed!_

_"How do you do, Cenhelm?" she repeated, as pleased to accept his teachings as she had been as a newly Turned newborn._

_"I'm afraid not well," he replied, much to her alarm. A careful examination of his face had her wanting to reach for his hand in distress, but Lady Athenodora and Lady Sulpicia had spent a day, back when Corin had been just past her newborn stage, instructing her where Corin's own mother had failed in how a lady must act, and most especially how a lady of the Volturi guard must conduct herself._

_"What ails you, Cenhelm?" she asked, and he shook his head softly._

_"It's a feeling I have, one most unsettling." He admitted. "There is a great unease inside me." Corin felt an anxiety flutter in her as she looked up at Cenhelm, saw the discomfort on his face._

_"Have you talked to the Masters?" she asked, urgently. Cenhelm hesitated before he answered her._

_"I have not." He admitted. "For while there is a sense of unease in me, it grows ever stronger when I make to approach the throne room."_

_"Oh but you have to!" she said earnestly, "Cenhelm, you know that Master Aro will wish to know what your Gift is telling you!" Cenhelm looked down at her, and she tried to look encouraging. He finally nodded._

_"You are right, of course," he said, quietly. "I thought, perhaps, a day out of the castle might settle me, but I will go to Master Aro." Corin beamed up at him, and he smiled back, just a small curve of his mouth, but happiness filled her at the sight, for now his face didn't appear so filled with discomfort, and she had managed that without even needing to use her Gift._

_Instead of continuing her aimless wandering of the castle she fell into step behind Cenhelm. He raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing of her following him to the throne room._

_They were a floor above from the throne room when Cenhelm inhaled suddenly, and a half second later the odd sound of cracks, like the carriage whips used by coachmen, except different in a way Corin couldn't name, rang out– too many to count– and then she gasped aloud at the impossible sounds of the beating hearts of at least three dozen men, maybe more. She froze, Cenhelm turning to stone beside her._

_"What is your purpose here?" she heard Master Aro's voice, and Corin thought that she heard fear in his voice– fear! "We have broken none of your rules!"_

_Rules? What rules were there for the Volturi kings to follow, but the ones of their own creation?_

_"Members of your coven attacked Isabella Swan," she heard a deep, hoarse and clearly human voice reply. "The rules state that your lives are forfeit– as are the lives of every member of your coven."_

_"Wait!" Master Aro said, and there was fear in his voice. "Who will keep the vampires in line with us gone?"_

_"After you, we go after the rest of your kind!" spat a different voice, "we've let you mosquitos go unchecked too damn long, it's time to cull the lot of you!"_

_There was a sudden roar and Corin realized what it was, a split second later– fire! It was fire! Fire in the castle! And the sudden scream, that wasn't one of the humans– it was a vampire screaming, and a vampire burning, and no, this was impossible–_

_"Corin! Get the wives! Get them out! Find Alec!" Cenhelm shouted, grabbing her arm and shaking it. "Do you hear me?"_

_"But– Master Aro!" she tried to say, her fear a wild thing in her breast. "I have to– I have to help him!"_

_"That is my job, yours is to ensure the safety of the wives– that is your job, Corin, and you will do it!" Cenhelm shook her again, his face stern. Corin took a gasping breath, tried not to listen to the screams of the burning vampires below, which wasn't easy when she could taste the foul smoke in her mouth._

_"I– yes, the Ladies, I will get them to safety," she said (or maybe she sobbed? It was a little hard to tell in her terror, because she did not understand and Master Aro was in danger–)._

_"Go!" Cenhelm ordered, "go now!"_

_So she went. The halls flew by as she ran to the tower where the wives stayed, faster then she had ever ran before._

_The Ladies both looked up in shock as she burst in, and Lady Athenodora's expression started to turn to disapproval, but through the now open door, the scent of burning filtered through, and with it faint traces of screams._

_"What is happening?" gasped Lady Sulpicia, a pale dainty hand pressed to her mouth._

_"I don't know, but we have to leave, it isn't safe," Corin tried not to speak her words too quickly, for fear they become as tangled as her thoughts, "there are strange people, strange men in the throne room– human men, mortals. They spoke of broken rules, and forfeited lives– I wasn't in the throne room, I didn't see how, but suddenly I could smell the fire!"_

_Lady Sulpicia gasped again, and there was a look of blatant dread on her face, while Lady Athenodora let out a low, poisonous hiss, her beautiful face twisted into a terrible thing of fear and rage._

_"The mages– oh Athena, what has been done to bring them down on us?" Lady Sulpicia exclaimed, horror clear in her voice._

_Corin let out a small cry of terror at the sound of more cracking, whip-like noises, but closer._

_"My Ladies, we have to go!" she pleaded._

_"What else did the sorcerers speak of, Corin?" demanded Lady Athenodora, her face still holding an expression that Corin had never even imagined possible on her elegant and proper Mistress, while Lady Sulpicia let out a soft scream of fear at the sound of another crack, this one closer yet._

_"The humans– they mentioned a mortal girl, Isabella Swan, please my Lady, please, we must–"_

_"What did they say about her? Did they say that she was a sorceress?" Lady Athenodora demanded. Lady Sulpicia clutched Lady Athenodora's arm._

_"Athena, listen to her–" she spoke urgently to her._

_"My Lady, please, we have to leave now–" Corin begged._

_"Athena, she is right, we must to go!"_

_Lady Athenodora finally nodded and if Corin could still cry tears, she knew that she would be weeping in droves, such was her relief, but it wasn't over yet._

_The castle that had felt so comfortable earlier had never been more frightening to her. The overpowering scent of incense, the terrible stench of a burning vampire, was overwhelming, making it impossible for her to smell if there was anyone nearby, and the screams, oh the horrible screams, were making it so hard to listen, to even think–_

_There was a secret exit, hidden in the wing of the castle where the wives' tower stood. Only six vampires knew of its existence– the Masters, the wives and her. It was to be the last resort should there ever be an invasion, an escape for the Ladies._

_Corin knew of its existence, as she was the one who was around the wives the most, aside from Masters Aro and Caius, and it was determined that she should help them should escape ever be necessary, and that she must know where it was in order for her to aid the Ladies in any way she could– even if she must sacrifice her own life as distraction. Master Aro had looked at her so very gravely as he told her this, and she had agreed without hesitation (anything for him, anything for Master Aro)._

_They were very nearly at the secret exit when there were two cracks, and two human men appeared, twenty yards before them. Corin stopped sharply, barely able to contain the desperate cry of terror that wanted to escape her at the sight of them._

_Never since Master Aro had taken her and had Turned her and made her powerful had she felt so afraid of a human man._

_The two men were dressed in strange robes, with open fronts and slits in the sides, and holding odd carved sticks in their hands, sticks less then a foot long and made of wood, yet the Ladies were looking at those sticks as if they were weapons- terrifying, powerful weapons._

_"Witch scum!" hissed Lady Athenodora, furious and spitting._

_"Athena, no!" Lady Sulpicia cried as Lady Athenodora lunged for one of the men. Corin screamed as one of the men created some sort of wall of air, but Lady Athenodora stopped in place before she hit it, whirling gracefully out of the way of the beam of light that followed from the other man's stick. And yet before Corin could even make her terrified, scattered brain either think or react, the next jet of light was not aimed at Athenodora at all, instead it hit the Lady Sulpicia, directly in the chest._

_Corin let out a cry of shock and grief as Master Aro's wife exploded, a startling, piercing sound that attracted both men's attention to her small, terrified form. But turning to her was a mistake– their mistake (one should never look away from an enraged vampire who was over two thousand years old)._

_Lady Athenodora moved faster then almost even Corin's eyes could track, the polished nails on her dainty fingers slashing open the throat of the man closest to her, the one without the shield who had sent the killing light at Lady Sulpicia. Blood sprayed through the air as he dropped to the floor, dead, his heart now as still in his chest as it was in his murderess's. The second man roared with anger, turning to face Lady Athenodora– and Corin forced herself to react, to remember Cenhelm's lessons on spotting an opening, to make herself move, to lunge forwards–_

_The man's blood tasted like fire sliding down her throat, and it burned–_

_She could feel the flames searing inside her body–_

_She tried to move, but her body wasn't responding–_

_She wanted to scream–_

_She couldn't see, couldn't hear–_

_She couldn't scream–_

_She was burning–_

_Burning–_

-

-

I return home from Jacob's to an empty house and two unopened letters sitting on the kitchen table. My heart leapt to my throat and my hands were shaking as I turned over the parchments to see who the senders were. One of the letters was stamped with a wax seal 'M'– the official seal of the Ministry of Magic. I recognized the handwriting on the other letter, and I was chicken enough that I chose to open that one first and read what Luna had written to me. 

Luna's distinctive handwriting is as odd and unique as she is, filled with curls and twirls and spirals and loops and little hearts, stars and moons in place of dots over her 'i's'. You'd think that her handwriting would have driven the professors mad, and I felt that it really said something that it was the least frustrating part about the essays and tests she turned in– not that that stopped her from getting good marks.

_Bella,_

_You'll be pleased to know that Harry assures me Hermione has the situation with the Italian vampires in hand. I also hope that you'll be pleased to know that Draco will make a full recovery. We should both be back in Forks within a week._

_Love Luna,_

_P.S. I would be honored to be your Maid of Honor_

Feeling encouraged by Luna answering a question I'd never asked her, and I purposefully didn't choose to think about how strange it was that I would find something like so unnerving so reassuring, I took the courage to break the seal on the letter posted to me from the Ministry. 

_Dear Ms. Swan,_

_Your complaint placed with the Ministry of Magic regarding an attack on your person by registered vampire coven located in Volterra, Italy, has officially been processed. By attacking you, the registered coven broke section 13b of Clause 39 of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Following protocol, the Department of Magical Beings liaised with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the following action has been enacted: dismantlement and execution._

_This official document has been automatically sent following confirmation of success of the team dispatched to carry out the procedure._

The letter gets (even more) confusing after that, listing different protocols and procedures and Department names, and I skip to the bottom where someone has inked a message across the place where I think a signature was stamped in neat cursive.

_Bella– you can stop your fretting now. The Italian and British Ministry were leant aid by American Ministry who have a department that specializes in dealing with magical creatures and beings, and a majority of the Volturi were destroyed in a coordinated attack. They're not sure about numbers yet, but all three of the 'Kings' are confirmed to be deceased. I hope this sees you in excellent health. Best wishes– your friend, Hermione_

I exhale, shakily, as I put down the letter. My hands are trembling as I rest my palms against the smooth surface of the bench to support myself. My head spun slightly, and I felt... overwhelmed. I worked on my breathing until I'd stopped shaking so badly, and pulled my wand from my pocket, intending on apparating over to the Cullens to share the good news. Immediately, the phone started ringing– loudly. 

I cross the small space of the kitchen to answer it, and Alice's chirpy voice greets me. "Hi Bella, you can't come over here right now, but Edward's on his way over." She says, before I can even get a word out. "Don't worry, I've told everyone about the Volturi– they're thrilled. Well, Jasper not so much, but that's because he's worried about who will keep the vampires in line now. I'm guessing the Ministries have a plan, though, so he can stop being such a worrier." The last part of her message certainly wasn't directed at me, and I think I can hear Jasper's voice faintly in the background. 

"Do you know what time he'll be here?" I ask her, glad that I didn't have to be the one who informed the Cullens of the Ministry of Magic's success.

"Five minutes. Go put on a jacket." Alice instructs before hanging up. I huff out a laugh at the nasal sound of the dial tone before hanging the phone back on the hook. 

Following Alice's advice, I wander up to my room and pull on a blue sweater, then make the effort to neaten my hair a bit, as well as applying a quick cleaning charm to get rid of the 'dog' scent from my hair, skin and clothes so Edward wouldn't have to smell it. 

By the time I've reached the top of the stairs again, Edward is already knocking. "Come in!" I call, and he uses the key Charlie gave me when I first moved in that I then passed on to Edward when I turned seventeen and no longer required a key to open locks. 

I've barely stepped off the bottom of the staircase when he's there, in front of me. We exchange a soft kiss, and Edward smiles down at me, his liquid topaz eyes almost glowing with affection. 

"Any reason why I'm banned from your house?" I ask him, and he laughs, softly. 

"That's a long story, actually. Do you have anything planned?" 

"My schedule is one hundred percent clear." I tell him and he smiles.

"Would you like to go visit our meadow?" I feel my mood lift at the idea and I practically beam at him. It feels like it's been forever since we've visited our little corner of paradise. 

"I'd love to," I answer, happily. 

We apparate there and, like every time, I'm a little bit taken away with the beauty of the place. The wind is warmer now that the storm has passed, and clouds are covering the sky the way they usually do. 

The meadow was a peaceful, happy place today. Patches of summer daisies interrupted the grass with splashes of white and yellow. I lay back, ignoring the slight dampness of the ground, and looked for pictures in the clouds. They were too even, too smooth. No pictures, just a soft, gray blanket. Edward lay next to me and held my hand.

"You remember the newborn, Bree," he says, and I hum an affirmative. I do remember her–  _vividly_  so, in fact. After all, I had relived that moment in my mind where I'd lost control and killed Jane more times then I could count, and Bree was always present, contorted on the ground, expression frozen in a twisted thing of acute, unbearable agony. 

"Well, Carlisle and Esme have taken her in. She's only just fifteen years old, and she's willing to abide by Carlisle's rules of animal blood only. Her past is... unpleasant, to say the least, but Carlisle's investigation into it gave her some closure, at least– her father's in prison for two counts of murder, and her mother's body has been put to rest."

I shudder, and Edward's thumb rubs the back of my hand, comfortingly. "Bree had a request, though. Another newborn that Victoria Turned left before the attack took place. He said he'd meet her at a public park, that he'd wait three days for her there. She's gone to find him with Carlisle, Esme, Eleazar and Emmett, they're going to offer him the same as they did Bree, but if he chooses not to accept, at least he'll know that he has options in this life. But regardless of whether our coven ends up with one newborn, or two, it's just not safe for anyone with a beating heart to be near them right now. Carlisle is already planning a move to Alaska, and Carmen and Eleazar will be staying with them, to help out."

"You said 'with them'," I turn so I'm looking into buttery-gold eyes. Edward smiles.

"Obviously I'm not going anywhere without you, and since Bree- and possibly Fred, if he accepts Carlisle's offer- can't be around humans, they'll just have to go to Alaska without us."

"I like it when you say that.  _Us_." I tell him, shifting so I'm resting on my side, facing him. 

"I love it when you say it," Edward murmurs back, eyes burning with a sincerity that takes my breath away. "I won't be the only one staying, of course- our wedding is still been held in Forks, so Alice and Jasper will be staying until October. Rosalie wanted to stay too, but Esme thinks it will be healthier for Bree if she can talk to someone about what happened when she was living with her father, and she's convinced Rosalie that Bree will most likely find it easier to talk to a female who at least appears closer to her age." 

"Rosalie will be good for Bree," I say, thinking of the beautiful, golden-haired vampire, who I'd once thought was a haughty ice-queen until the day Edward and I returned home from school one afternoon and found her sitting cross-legged on my bed with Luna's head in her lap, singing softly to my sleeping best friend, who had been holding onto her hand like a lifeline. In that moment I saw Rosalie without the masks she wore, saw the pain and grief and longing in her beautiful golden eyes as she sang away Luna's nightmares. 

I didn't know what Rosalie's story was, but I was aware that whatever it was, it wouldn't be a nice one. Carlisle had never Turned anyone who wasn't already dying, after all. 

"I think Bree will be good for Rosalie, too," Edward says, voice just as quiet, contemplative, "I'm not sure what she and Luna talked about, but Rose is... lighter then I've ever seen her before. Her mind is happier. Calmer. More content."

"She helped Luna, too. So, so much. People aren't... people aren't nice to Luna. Not at first, anyway. Even the nice ones pretend that she's playing a game with all her creatures, or that she's batty but don't call her on it. Rosalie never acted like that, like she was just playing along. Luna can tell when people are- and by now I'm pretty good at telling when they are too." 

"Do you think Draco is playing along?" Edward asks, very genuinely. 

"No," I admit, "He believes her. Which just makes it harder to keep on hating him. Which I don't. Hate him, I mean. I still don't  _like_  him, but I don't hate him."

"Like I said," Edward's expression is mildly teasing. "You are terrible at holding grudges." 

I laugh instead of arguing, and lean forwards to seal our lips together. We kiss long and slow, adding gentle touches and languid, rolling movements. Heat coursed through my veins as Edward rolled gently, pressing me into the cool grass, before his lips returned to mine, his hands in my hair as we kissed. 

It's later, when I'm cuddled against his side, a half a dozen warming charms keeping away the icy cold of his skin, that he asks me. "I've been wondering," he says, voice as relaxed and peaceful as I imagine I currently look, "why you've never asked to go any further sexually then we have. I want you to know that you can always speak openly with me about our bedroom activities, that you don't ever have to be embarrassed. I know neither of us have any real reference to go back on, and when she gave me the 'Talk'," here Edward chuckles softly, warmly, "Esme advised that we make sure to keep communicating." 

"Esme gave you the Talk?" I ask, amused. 

"Don't sound so entertained," Edward's eyes are shining with mirth now. "She gave it to me after the first time we went further then kissing." 

I let out a mortified sound. "How did she know?" I ask, wondering if my face looks as red as it feels. 

"Alice. Don't worry, they didn't tell anyone else." Edward reassures me. I remind myself that Alice needs to be in one piece to plan my wedding, before concentrating on the question Edward had asked in the first place. 

"I want it to be on our wedding night," I blurt out, and yep, the blush certainly isn't going anywhere. 

"Oh," Edward sounds surprised. 

"Don't laugh," I grumble, "I know it's old-fashioned, but..." I shrug my shoulders. 

"I wouldn't laugh," Edward says, almost sounding insulted that I'd think he might. "I was just surprised. That sounds... perfect. It sounds perfect." I peek up at him.

"You're not just saying that because I just said something ridiculously stereotypical?" I ask.

"I promise, Bella," he says, gently, and I sigh, then snuggle back into his side. "And just when I thought I couldn't look forward to our wedding more then I already was," Edward muses. "Four months seems so very far away."

"It'll pass quicker then you think," I reassure him. 

"Four months of peace will be nice," Edward says, with a smile. "Four months with nothing that urgently has to be done, four months with nothing deadly looming over us, four months with just... nothing that we have to do. It sounds glorious."

"Not four months with nothing to do," I point out, "we have a future to start planning, after all."

"Oh?" Edward asks, "any preferences?" 

"Just a few," I tell him. 

"Do you want to share?" he prompts and I smile, even as my mind races with possibilities. 

"I want to experience a sunrise at the Grand Canyon... I want to see the Northern Lights in Alaska, watch the penguins play on the icy planes of Antarctica and a lion defend its pride in the savannas of Africa. I want to see the Coliseum in Italy, walk through different time periods in Asia, go and explore the Mayan and Incan ruins in South America, see the ghosts of Pompeii, explore the islands of Hawaii- and I want to do it all next to you, Edward. I want to live it all by your side, as your wife."

Edward's kissing me again, stronger this time. "Everything," he vows, between fierce kisses, "all of it, we'll do all of it- together. Always." 

"I love you," I gasp out, when his lips move to my throat, to give me time to breath. "Sweet Circe, I love you Edward!" Edward's hand finds mine, my left one, and he lifts it, presses an open mouth kiss against my palm, before turning my hand so the diamonds on my ring catch the meager amount of sun that manages to escape the thick blanket of clouds. 

The rain started to drip through the clouds just then, a few scattered drops that made faint thuds as they struck the grass. I glowered at the sky for ruining the moment, before turning to Edward, who looks both amused and ecstatic. 

"Let's go get out of the rain," he says, "and perhaps we could start planning." My annoyance with the weather vanishes and I smile back at him.

"That sounds perfect." I tell him.

And it really does.

 


	34. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE:**

 

Corin gasped, her eyes springing open. She wasn't sure where she was, and a movement to her right had her lunging to a crouch, a warning hiss escaping through her now barred teeth.

"Calm down," a familiar voice ordered, and Corin slowly moved out of her crouch.

"My Lady?" she asked, feeling even more confused. Lady Athenodora looked stranger then Corin had ever seen her before, her long black hair fallen from its elaborate braiding, and her white gown stained with dried blood. 

They were in a bedroom, in a house– a large one– and Corin could detect the scent of recently deceased humans, on the floor above them. 

Why weren't they in the castle? Corin wondered, bewildered, before gasping in horror as she remembered– smoke and fire and screaming and death. Death at the hands of mortal men with strange sticks. A whimper escaped her and she looked up at Lady Athenodora, distraught. 

"Next time don't swallow their blood; they have potions that make it poison to us." The Lady said coldly. Corin didn't understand, though she shuddered at the reminder of the awful burning pain. She anxiously looked around the richly furnished bedroom. A sniff told her there were two other vampires present, but she couldn't tell who they were, if they were Master Aro and Master Caius.

"My Lady– did the Masters escape the castle?" She asked hopefully. Lady Athenodora's beautiful face went dark with sudden anger and grief. 

"My mate is  _dead_ ," she snarled, and Corin flinched back at the terrifying sound. "Those filthy witches killed Caius!" Corin whimpered, her head bowed before her Lady's rage, but she still had to know, she still had to hope–

"Is-Is Master Aro safe?"

"Dead." Lady Athenodora said, coldly, and something in Corin  _broke_. 

She screamed in rage and horror and grief. She teared at her hair, she ripped the furniture apart. Her mind cracked, and her psyche turned into sharp shards of glass, cutting everything in reach.

Finally, she crouched to the floor, rocking back and forth and sobbing tearlessly, her nails scrabbling at the floorboards, ripping through the wood, unable to stop the distressed wails that escaped her, anguish and heartache drowning her. Master Aro was dead! He was dead! Her savior, her Master, her dearest, dearest loved one! He couldn't– he just couldn't be dead! How? Why? Why?! 

"Corin!" Lady Athenodora's sharp voice broke through Corin's dizzying haze of grief, and she looked up at her mistress. At some point, Alec had entered the now half-destroyed room, and Corin vaguely recalled that he and Heidi had been away from the castle during the attack. If he was here, then Heidi was likely the other vampire Corin could sense present in the house.

"I– I'm sorry, my Lady," she managed to pull herself together, the best as she could, and in a smooth movement rose back to her feet. It took time for Corin to piece the shattered pieces herself back together enough that the bone-deep, aching sorrow wouldn't crack them back apart, but, surprisingly, Lady Athenodora waited. "I– I don't remember– we escaped?" she asked, finally. The Lady's lips drew back in a silent snarl, and there was a cold hatred in her beautiful blood-red eyes, the slight film from age like a sheen of glimmering pearl over ruby. Corin trembled, but the hatred was not aimed towards her.

"Wizards!" The ancient vampiress spat, as though the word itself was filthy. "Mages! Sorcerers! Witches!"

"They're real? They exist?" Corin felt dizzy, like too much was happening too fast. 

"They are our greatest enemy," Lady Athenodora said, with a dark fury. "The Volturi have been spared their attention for over a thousand years, as we have kept the other vampires in line. Until now. Until this Isabella Swan."

Corin let out a hiss at the name, remembering one of the mortals– wizards– saying it.

"You said that the wizards said her name," Lady Athenodora directs her words towards Corin, and the smaller vampire nods.

"Yes, my Lady. One of them said to M-Master A-Aro that the coven had attacked her, and that our lives were forfeit because of that."

"Alec told me about her while you were still suffering under the effect of the witch blood– about how she is mated to one of the Cullens, vampires who play at being human, abstaining from our natural diet out of disgusting righteousness." Lady Athenodora's red eyes glittered with menace, "they will  _pay_. They will  _all_   _pay_  for what they have just brought down on our species." 

"What?" Alec's voice is low, and Corin shudders on reflex at the tone. "What is going to happen?"

"What was promised to us, should the Volturi ever go against the rules the wizards set us and fail to keep our kind in line," the Lady said, coldly. "The total extermination of our race."

Corin's startled hiss was drowned out by Alec's fierce growl. "Can we fight them?" he demanded. Corin couldn't imagine being able to fight the sort of overwhelming power that had befallen the castle, but Lady Athenodora smiled, a cold, cold smile. 

"Of course. Our success is far from guaranteed, but we will  _not_  go quietly. We shall need to gather allies, strong ones, but they will flock to us when covens start to be decimated." 

"And the Olympic coven?" Alec pressed. "What will be done about the Cullens?" 

"Well," Lady Athenodora's smile was pure poison. "When Jane returns with her report on how they fared against the newborn army set upon them, we shall make our plans for them. But one way or another, the Cullens will all die– and their pet witch will burn with them."  
  
  


**A/N: I said once that this would be the last book in the Moonspell series, and it was supposed to be- but then I ended up without my phone, internet or computer for two days and wrote out a full plan for a Moonspell version of Breaking Dawn, so there's going to be a Book Four. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed Magic of the Night because I had a lot of fun writing it! ~ _Cheshire Carroll_**


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